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THE LIFE OF 
LIEUTENANT GENERAL CHAFFEE 



THE UNIVERSITY OP CHICAGO PRESS 
CHICAGO. ILLINOIS 



THE BAKER & TAYLOR COMPANY 

NEW YORK 

THE J. K. GILL COMPANY 

PORTLAND, OREGON 

THE CUNNINGHAM. CURTISS & WELCH COMPANY 

LOS ANGELES 

THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS 

LONDON AND EDINBURGH 

THE MARUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA 

TOKYO. OSAKA, KYOTO, FUKUOKA, BBNDAI 

THE MISSION BOOK COMPANY 

SHANGHAI 




By permission of Pirie Mac Donald 

ADNA ROMANZA CHAFFEE, LIEUTENANT GENERAL, U.S.A. 



THE LIFE OF 

LIEUTENANT GENERAL 

CHAFFEE 



By 

WILLIAM HARDING CARTER 

Major General, United States Army 




THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS 
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 



t 



^<? 



Copyright 1917 By 
The University of Chicago 



All Rights Reserved 



Published December 191 7 



Composed and Printed By 

The University of Chicagro Press 

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Foreword i 

CHAPTER 

I. Early Life and Characteristics 5 

II. Enlistment FOR THE Civil War 9 

III. At the Front: The Peninsular Campaign 16 

IV. Antietam and Fredericksburg 20 

V. Picketing the Rappahannock; Stoneman's Raid, 

Gettysburg 24 

VI. Sheridan's Raid to Richmond 35 

VII. With Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley . 44 

VIII. Five Forks; Sailors Creek; Appomattox ... 48 

IX. Frontier Service in Texas 53 

X. Frontier Service in Kansas and Indian Terri- 
tory 68 

XI. Frontier Service in Arizona 77 

XII. Indian Agent at San Carlos 84 

XIII. Frontier Service in Arizona (Continued) ... 90 

XIV. Frontier Service with Crook's Expedition and 

IN Mexico 99 

XV. Frontier Service in New Mexico 107 

XVI. End of the Indian Wars 118 

XVII. War with Spain 123 

XVIII. The Santiago Campaign 134 

XIX. The Siege and Surrender of Santiago . . . 145 

XX. El Caney — The Official Report 1 59 

XXI. The Return to Cuba 165 

V 



vi Contents 

XXII. China Relief Expedition 175 

XXIII. The Capture of Pekin 186 

XXIV. Allies Assume Control in Pekin 201 

XXV. Winter Quarters in Pekin 213 

XXVI. The Evacuation of Pekin 227 

XXVII. Philippine Service 236 

XXVIII. Homeward Bound 259 

XXIX. Chief of Staff 267 

XXX. Retirement 278 

XXXI. The Passing of a Leader 289 

Index 295 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Adna Romanza Chaffee, Lieutenant General, U.S.A Frontispiece 

Birthplace and Four Views of Chaffee . . . Facing page 6 

Photograph of Secretary of War E. M. Stanton's 
Order for Appointment of Sergeant Chaffee to 
Be a Second Lieutenant " " 28 

Chaffee in Uniform of Major of Cavalry ... " "118 

General Chaffee at El Caney " " 142 

Departure of General Castellanos from Havana, 

January i, 1899 " " 168 

Americans Who Were at Pekin during Siege of Lega- 
tions ; " "184 

General Chaffee in the Field on the China Relief 

Expedition " "188 

United States Infantry Moving up to the Gate, 
Pekin; American Artillery in Action against 
the Gate to the Forbidden City .... " " 192 

General Chaffee Entering Pekin with Artillery . " " 196 

American Battery in Action against Pekin; Ameri- 
can Troops Entering the Forbidden City . " " 202 

Group of Officers of Allied Armies in China. Gen- 
eral Chaffee Third from Right, Seated on Left 
of Lieutenant General Yamaguchi ... " " 206 

General Chaffee and Staff at Pekin .... " " 214 

Letter from Li Hung Chang to General Chaffee " " 220 

General Chaffee, Grand Marshal, and Staff at In- 
auguration of President Roosevelt in March", 
190S " "272 

Lieutenant General Chaffee after Retirement . " " 282 

vii 



FOREWORD 

We pride ourselves in America upon the fact that 
the door of opportunity is never closed to genuine 
merit. Yet it has remained for the present generation 
to witness the solitary instance in which a soldier 
risen from the ranks of the Regular Army has been 
honored with the highest military office in the gift of 
the nation. Not for this exceptional fact, but because 
of his long and remarkable career in arms, the life-work 
of Lieutenant General Adna Romanza Chaffee deserves 
to be made of record, that future generations of Ameri- 
cans may comprehend what men of his time endured for 
the nation's sake. His rise from the lowest to the 
highest rank in the American Army was due to no 
extraneous influence, but came as a just reward for 
meritorious achievements in competition with an 
exceptional body of men. 

When the old flag was lowered at Sumter, the 
gauge of battle was thrown down and there was naught 
to do but prepare for the coming struggle. The 
early calls for volunteers did not indicate, in the light 
of subsequent events, any very decided or comprehen- 
sive plans beyond preparations for battle. No one 
could base a calculation upon the experience of the 
past. There was grave misunderstanding between 
the sections as to their relative strength: the south- 
erners were strangely vain of their individual prowess ; 
the northerners were more phlegmatic, slower to move. 



2 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

but once they were aroused neither defeat nor disaster 
could swerve them from their purpose. 

General Chaffee was one of two million young men 
and boys who during the fratricidal conflict volun- 
teered with only one thought — 'to save the Union. The 
vast majority of them have gone to their tombs, and 
the Grim Reaper, from whom none escapes, is rapidly 
gathering the survivors to their last bivouac. The 
world goes on, and the kaleidoscopic course of modern 
events seems to leave no time for reflection upon the 
deeds of those young patriots, yet their fame and glory 
are secure in the hearts of the nation, and the story of 
their achievements will survive when all the bronze 
and marble monuments now standing to mark their 
conquering pathway in war have crumbled to dust and 
passed back to Mother Earth. 

We are coming more and more to recognize that 
truthful history of the great forward movements which 
have characterized the nation's rise and progress is 
best deduced from the journals, diaries, and reports of 
the men who have rendered the state some service. 
General Chaffee's life was an open book to his comrades, 
but now that he and they have passed over the great 
divide it is no easy matter to uncover the earlier trail 
of half a century and to do justice to his modest, fear- 
less, and successful career. 

Volumes have been written upon the fortunes of 
individual soldiers, and hero-worship has ever been 
more or less blind in the adulation bestowed upon suc- 
cessful commanders. It is the fate of nations to witness 
the rise and fall of popular military idols, for truthful 



Foreword 3 

history disposes oi ephemeral reputations. The his- 
tory of war is not always the story of success, but 
American manhood has often been exalted by defeat as 
well as by victory. There is no pride akin to that 
which comes of a knowledge that one's ancestors have 
rendered the state some service, and as long as there 
remain upon the pages of history the stories of Valley 
Forge, of Yorktown, of Mexico, of Chickamauga, of 
Gettysburg, of Santiago, and of Pekin, so long will 
children lisp with proud mien the stories of their 
fathers' swords. 

In the preparation of the life-story of General 
Chaffee it has been the constant endeavor to present 
an honest and unpretentious representation of his 
service, as substantiated by the records, and to avoid 
entirely the tempting realms of speculation. With the 
lapse of years dangers are forgotten and the memory 
of hardships is mellowed; yet when the country was 
supposed to be in a state of profound peace the little .. 
frontier garrisons, which made the settlement of half a 
continent possible, unostentatiously went about their 
work of carving the path of an empire without expec- 
tation of other reward than a consciousness of duty 
nobly done. During the quarter-century of Indian 
wars following the close of the Civil War no officer was 
more uniformly successful than General Chaffee. His 
subsequent military career in Cuba, Cliina, and the 
Philippines served to fill some of the most interesting 
pages of his country's history. His civil career subse- 
quent to retirement rounded out the closing years 
of a well-spent life. 



4 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

The public is apt to exaggerate the merits of some 
at the expense of others. Opportunity and influence 
must be reckoned with by all who have ambitious 
dreams of military fame. History shows a trail of 
broken hearts and wrongs which will never be righted, 
in the wake of every war. The Civil War and the war 
with Spain have both left their scars in the uneven 
distribution of rewards. General Chaffee did not 
suffer from lack of appreciation, yet none was more 
worthy. His personal papers record that his sincerest 
wish, in every recognition of his own services, was 
that he might share his good fortune with comrades 
whom he knew to be worthy. His last act before 
retirement establishes the fact that his wishes were 
sincere. 

No discussion of military matters is ever allowed 
to proceed far in America without some congressman 
or editor delivering a homily upon the evils of aristoc- 
racy in our army. General Chaffee's career is not only 
a complete refutation of all such assertions, but should 
be an inspiration to every young man whose tastes and 
qualifications suggest the army as a career. Through- 
out his military life General Chaffee numbered among 
his most devoted friends and sincere admirers the 
graduates of West Point who were associated with him. 
This was natural and eminently fitting, for not the 
least of the things cherished in that incomparable 
school on the Hudson is appreciation of military 
merit. 



CHAPTER I 

EARLY LIFE AND CHARACTERISTICS 

Adna Romanza Chaffee was born in Orwell, Ashta- 
bula County, Ohio, on April 14, 1842. His father was 
Truman Bibbins Chaffee and his mother was Grace 
Hyde Chaffee. Truman Bibbins Chaffee was a 
descendant, in the seventh generation, of Thomas 
Chaffee, who emigrated from England and was living 
at Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1683. Grace Hyde 
was descended from Humphrey Hyde, who emigrated 
from England and settled at Fairfield, Connecticut, 
about 1650. 

Truman and Grace Hyde Chaffee were the parents 
of twelve children, three of whom entered the United 
States military service at the outbreak of the Civil 
War in 1861, a fourth, Orestes P. Chaffee, entering the 
Confederate service. The last-named son, the oldest 
of the four, had moved from Ohio to Alabama some 
years before the war, and, like many other planters of 
northern birth residing in the South, he joined forces 
with the section of his adoption in the struggle. 
Orestes P. Chaffee served through the war and then 
went to South America, where he resided for many 
years. Upon his return to the United States he 
accepted a civil position under the War Department 
and rendered many years of service. One brother, 
Truman Everal Chaffee, Fourteenth Ohio Battery, 
was killed at the battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862. 



6 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Sherburn Howard Chaffee served through the Civil 
War in the Sixth Ohio Cavalry and was mustered out 
on June 27, 1865. 

Adna Romanza Chaffee enlisted in the Regular 
Army on July 22, 1861, and continued in the military 
service until his death, at which time he held the rank 
of lieutenant general, then the highest grade in the 
army. 

The early life of General Chaffee was similar to that 
of the average healthy, robust boy of the Western 
Reserve of Ohio. His mother was a woman of culti- 
vated mind. She had been a school teacher in her early 
life, and endeavored to guide and direct her children 
along lines which would induce them to seek further 
education. The wife of a farmer and the mother 
of a large family, she found many duties to occupy her 
time, but her loving guidance and influence remained 
always in General Chaffee's mind and led him to con- 
stant endeavor at self -improvement. As to his early 
school life we have the words of one of his teachers, 
Mrs. Elizabeth Dyer: 

It was in a little brown schoolhouse, a mile south and a 
mile east of Orwell, Ashtabula County, Ohio. The school- 
house was frame and had long benches running from one 
end to the other. There were short seats with desks behind 
them on each side. Seats and desks were cut up with 
notches, for nearly every boy carried a jack-knife and, 
proud of them, loved to cut the benches when the teacher's 
back was turned. I think the very best boy in my school 
was little Adna Chaffee. He was always obedient and 
never tried to play smart. His lessons were well learned. 





Chaffee Just before 
Enlistment 



Chaffee as Second Lieutenant, 
Sixth Cavalry 




The Old Home 





< Jf.% 



Chaffee as First Lieutenant, 
Sixth Cavalry 



^il^ 



Chaffee as Captain 
Sixth Cavalry 



Early Life and Characteristics 7 

My teaching was done in the old days when the school- 
teacher boarded round, and I stopped at the Chaffee home 
a large portion of my time. I was only fourteen years 
old when I began to teach and got homesick pretty often. 
Mrs. Chaffee could comfort me at such times as no other 
person could, and I often went to her for sympathy. I 
liked the whole Chaffee family. They were truthful and 
honorable in all their dealings. 

The foundation of Adna Chaffee's education was 
laid under the guidance of his parents in the compre- 
hensive and insistent manner usual in those families 
which had removed from New England to the Middle 
West. At an early age he began to develop qualities 
of leadership and was usually selected as the captain of 
their hunts and sports by his boyhood friends, by one 
of whom it is related that at that early period he had 
already announced his desire to become a soldier. He 
was always very firm of purpose in all he undertook 
about the farm, in the woods, or at school, a charac- 
teristic which he retained through life. During the 
period just preceding the Civil War an old sergeant 
came to Orwell and from among the boys of the neigh- 
borhood formed one of the "Wide- A wake" companies 
and instructed them in the rudiments of drill. The 
drills not only proved of value as practical military 
instruction, but aroused the deep enthusiasm of the 
lads to such an extent that it needed but little to fan 
the flame to intense patriotism in 1861. Nearly all of 
these boys volunteered at the first call of President 
Lincoln, including, of course, Adna Chaffee. 

During the youthful and formative period of his 
military life he was engaged in most active and arduous 



8 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

service in the field, where he absorbed the practical 
lessons so essential to the finished soldier. He clearly 
recognized that the fate of the nation hung in the 
balance many times during that critical period, and 
that each great crisis demanded men of sterling, un- 
compromising character. He was unerring in his 
judgment of those whom he regarded as having 
rendered the nation services of a high order. 

The subtleties of diplomacy made no appeal to this 
straightforward and plain-spoken man whose prin- 
ciples admitted of no compromise with truth and frank 
dealing. To be found wanting in the hour of need was 
unpardonable in his eyes, and his whole life was one 
of preparation to meet the obligations and duties of the 
next higher call. Scarcely had the smoke of battle 
dissolved at the close of the Civil War when he under- 
took to perfect his knowledge by a study of history and 
the art of war, which served him to good purpose later 
when he was called to high command. He accepted 
as worthy models only those whose patriotism, un- 
flinching courage, and high professional attainments 
were beyond question. Men of that type do not 
abound, but every great crisis brings them forward, 
and they thrive and grow with the responsibilities 
thrust upon them. 

As the story of General Chaffee's career unfolds, it 
will be recognized that he earnestly and steadfastly 
hewed to the line of high endeavor, according to the 
principles which he had inherited and standardized 
for his guidance through life. 



CHAPTER II 
ENLISTMENT FOR THE CIVIL WAR 

When the crisis of secession arose in 1861, President 
Lincoln, without awaiting the sanction of Congress, 
directed that the Regular Army be immediately 
increased by one regiment of cavalry, one regiment of 
artillery, and eight regiments of infantry. At that time 
there were five mounted regiments in the army — two 
of dragoons, one of mounted rifles, and two of cavalry. 
The new mounted organization was designated as the 
Third Cavalry. In order to simplify matters for the 
large volunteer army being organized at the time, 
Congress voted, on August 3, 1861, before the organi- 
zation of the new regiment had been completed, that 
all mounted regiments should belong to the cavalry, 
and on August 10, 1861, the recently created regiment 
was designated as the Sixth Cavalry. 

General Chaffee was one of the original members of 
the regiment, and for twenty-five years, through the 
Civil War and the Indian wars, he followed its for- 
tunes and had no small part in molding its character 
and sustaining its well-earned reputation. The regi- 
ment was engaged in sixty battles and combats while 
in the Army of the Potomac, during the Civil War, and, 
except when disabled by wounds, General Chaffee was 
constantly with it. The history of the regiment in the 
Indian wars revolved in no small degree around General 
Chaffee. During a quarter of a century there was little 



lo The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

of hardship or victory that he did not share with the 
regiment ; hence in tracing its story by flood and field 
during that period General Chaffee's trail is readily 
followed. 

The Sixth Cavalry was recruited mainly in western 
Pennsylvania, New York, and eastern Ohio, in the 
summer of 1861, at the same time that volunteer regi- 
ments were being organized in those regions. Among 
the officers appointed to the regiment from civil life, 
and sent to recruit it in Ohio, was Charles Russell 
Lowell, a nephew of James Russell Lowell. At that 
time Captain Lowell was twenty-six years of age. He 
had graduated with the highest honors at Harvard, 
had traveled much in Europe, had engaged in railroad 
construction in Iowa, and, at the outbreak of the Civil 
War, was manager of the iron works at Mount Savage, 
Maryland. When the call for volunteers was issued 
by President Lincoln, young Lowell hastened to 
Washington and had little difficulty in securing an 
appointment as captain to fill one of the vacancies 
reserved in the new regiment for candidates from civil 
life. 

The newly appointed captains were sent immedi- 
ately to recruit their organizations. In regard to this 
duty Captain Lowell wrote from Franklin, Pennsyl- 
vania, on July 15, 1861 : 

I am just in from a ride of thirty-four miles — have 
averaged twenty-five for the last eight days. We have 
about twenty recruits secured — a very good beginning ; now 
that a nucleus is formed, I think they will collect rapidly. 
I shall start on Wednesday for Warren, Trumbull County, 



Enlistment for the Civil War ii 

Ohio ; this is the Western Reserve, and I believe is settled 
by Yankees. 

Later, on July 20, 186 1, Lowell wrote: 

I am located, or stationed I believe is the proper word 
now, in what is called the Western Reserve; a glorious 
place to recruit it must have been two months ago, but 
unfortunately all the young men were too patriotic to wait 
for a chance in the Regular Cavalry and went off in the 
Volunteers — three companies went from this httle town. 

In a letter two days later Lowell said: 

I write out of sheer dulness; a mounted officer without 
a horse, a captain without a lieutenant or a command, a 
recruiting officer without a sergeant, and with but one 
enlisted man, a human being condemned to a country 
tavern and familiar thrice a day with dried apples and 
"a little piece of the beefsteak" — have I not an excuse for 
dulness? I am known here as the agent of that cavalry 
company — and the agent's office is the resort of half the 
idle clerks and daguerreotype artists in town — but those 

fellows don't enlist I am afraid the colonel will 

object to many of my recruits, that they are too youthful, 
but I cannot help the tendency. I have a perfect longing 
for young things. 

On the day that Lowell wrote this letter Adna 
Chaffee was on his way to enlist in a regiment of volun- 
teers in which some of his boyhood friends had already 
enlisted. In later years, writing of his change of plans, 
General Chaffee said: 

I was en route from my home to Columbus, Ohio, to 
enlist in the 23d Ohio Volunteers. Walking along Main 



12 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Street, in Warren, I observed a recruiting poster on the 
wall of a building, with a picture of a mounted soldier. I 
stopped for a moment to take in the situation and read, 
" Recruits wanted for the United States Army." Standing 
in a near-by door was a fine-looking man in uniform, and he 
said to me, "Young man, don't you wish to enlist?" I 
told him of my intention to join the 23d Ohio. He at once 
set forth the advantages of the cavalry service and the 
Regular Army in such fascinating terms that within 
fifteen minutes I determined to accept his opinion of 
what was best for me to do. I enhsted in his troop — 
K, Sixth Cavalry — and served as an enhsted man until 
May 12, 1863. While I was not the first, I was one of the 
first dozen enhsted by Lowell at Warren, Ohio, in the sum- 
mer of 1 86 1, my hand being held up on the 2 2d of July. 

A former sergeant of K Troop, Sixth Cavalry, writ- 
ing of that period, said: 

Captain Lowell was recruiting for K Company, Sixth 
United States Cavalry, one of the new regiments that 
Congress had authorized to be raised for the Regular Army, 
and Chaffee, along with several other young men of that 
community, myself included, was attracted by the enticing 
handbills which the enterprising captain had caused to be 
scattered broadcast over the surrounding country. Accord- 
ingly he climbed a rickety pair of rear stairs in a two- 
story building to the recruiting office, being conducted 
thither by a little dry-goods clerk, with a bald spot the size 
of a teapot lid a little back of the crown of his head. This 
little clerk was always conveniently at hand to offer himself 
as an escort to the would-be recruit, as there was a fee of 
two dollars a head for as many as he could thus conduct to 
the recruiting officer occupying rooms over the store in 
which the Httle clerk was employed. 



Enlistment for the Civil War 13 

The squad of twenty-five or thirty young men that had 
been gathered up at the Warren recruiting office started 
for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 5, 1861, being hauled 
in heavy farm wagons to Salem, Ohio, whence we were to go 
by rail to Pittsburgh. While on the way for Salem a 
heavy rain drenched us to the skin. Had some prophet 
foretold that in one of the three heavy wagons that were 
rumbhng along the road to Salem on that sultry day there 
was a future major general and a hero, none would have 
guessed that the quiet and unassuming Chaffee would win 
such honors. 

Captain Lowell exercised a great influence over the 
career of young Chaffee, who looked upon him as a 
cultured gentleman and a model soldier. In express- 
ing his opinion of his former captain, General Chaffee 
said: 

For self-control, personal courage, daring exposure to 
wounds or death in battle, I did not see his equal during the 
war. For bravery he is yet, after forty years of experience 
in the army, my ideal — the brave officer. As he was 
viewed from the ranks, he seemed unconscious that he 
possessed bravery in larger degree than usual with men. He 
was not one to do anything for mere show. Captain 
Lowell was always kind to his men, duly considerate of 
all faults and failures on their part; he was, nevertheless, 
strict in his discipline. 

There are many of Chaffee's comrades in arms who 
can with entire justice and candor make the identical 
statement concerning Chaffee himself, for he was all 
of that and more, as will be recognized as the story of 
his career is unfolded. 



14 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

The regiment having been ordered to assemble at 
Bladensburg, Maryland, Chaffee and his fellow- 
recruits left Camp Scott, near Pittsburgh, under a 
lieutenant, but were overtaken by Captain Lowell at 
Baltimore and conducted by him to the camp of the 
regiment at Bladensburg, arriving at midnight in a 
pouring rain, without tents or overcoats. The organi- 
zation of the regiment was begun at this camp. 
Despite his youth private Chaffee was made a lance 
corporal, but served as such only a few days, when he 
was promoted to the grade of sergeant, on October i, 
1861. 

The troop to which Sergeant Chaffee belonged 
remained at Bladensburg until October 12, 1861, when 
the regiment was assigned to the camp of instruction 
east of the Capitol at Washington. It remained at 
this camp through the winter, the men undergoing 
instruction regardless of weather, in preparation for the 
work in the field, which began with the Army of the 
Potomac in March, 1862, and terminated three years 
later, when they returned to Washington to participate 
in the Grand Review, the closing and spectacular 
ceremony of the Civil War. 

Lowell's Troop K was the first in the regiment to 
receive horses. In writing of the camp east of the 
Capitol he said : 

I don't know whether the newspapers, which have so 
many facts to telegraph, have said anything about the 
rainy, muddy thaw which has been the most important 
fact in the Army of the Potomac since the first of January. 
It is particularly hard on cavalry, encamped on a clay 



Enlistment for the Civil War 15 

bank — the horse splashed with wet clay after three hours' 
drill is not a cheerful spectacle to the recruit who has to 
clean him — it opens his eyes to some of the advantages 
of infantry. Our fellows, however, are kept in spirits by 
the constant hope of an "advance" — an advance where, or 
upon what, they do not stop to think ; for more than three 
weeks they have had orders to be in readiness at a few 
hours' notice. 

In the organization of the Sixth Cavalry it was pro- 
vided that two-thirds of the troop officers should be 
appointed from other regular regiments. Among 
these were some of the most talented officers of the 
army, and some excellent drill sergeants, promoted 
from the dragoons to be lieutenants in the new regi- 
ment. Under these instructors Chaffee received his 
first systematic training in the practical duties of a 
soldier and in the code of military ethics. He had 
been brought up on a farm and was familiar with horses. 
His adaptability and sterling character attracted atten- 
tion and won immediate recognition, for he was em- 
ployed in assisting with the instruction of new recruits, 
so essential in molding men into a dependable fighting 
machine. 



CHAPTER III 
AT THE FRONT: THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN 

After more than six months of constant drilling and 
instruction Sergeant Chaffee, in common with one 
thousand other martial spirits, welcomed the order 
to abandon their cantonment in Washington. Proudly 
they rode down Pennsylvania Avenue, in column of 
platoons, and, crossing the Long Bridge, entered 
Virginia, upon whose soil young Chaffee and his Ohio 
comrades were destined to undergo an experience in 
warfare which entitled them to recognition as veterans 
while yet boys in years. The regiment moved forward 
to Centerville and Manassas Junction, where Con- 
federate pickets were encountered for the first time. 
After more than a week of reconnaissance and screening 
in the vicinity of the historic battlefield of Bull Run, 
Sergeant Chaffee found himself at Alexandria about to 
embark for the seat of war on the Peninsula. 

Arriving in York River, the command to which 
Sergeant Chaffee belonged disembarked and became the 
advance guard of the Army of the Potomac, moving 
on Williamsburg after the enemy had evacuated his 
lines about Yorktown. The leading squadron came 
up with the rear guard of the enemy about two miles 
from Williamsburg. The regiment then moved for- 
ward to occupy a strip of woods, which was the center 
of the battlefield of the following day, and came un- 

i6 



The Peninsular Campaign 17 

expectedly upon an inclosed earthwork occupied by 
the Confederates. As the regiment moved to the 
attack a supporting force of Confederate infantry and 
cavalry was discovered. In attempting to withdraw, 
the regiment encountered a morass, and while it was 
effecting a crossing the Confederate cavalry closed on 
the rear of the column and captured several men. 
The rear squadron wheeled about and charged the 
enemy; the squadron to which Sergeant Chaffee 
belonged supported the charge, causing the enemy to 
abandon the pursuit. 

A few days later, May 7, 1862, the regiment led 
the pursuit of the enemy from Williamsburg and 
reached Slatersville on May 9. Coming up with the 
Confederate cavalry, Lowell's squadron was sent to 
make a detour of the town and cut off a detachment 
which had been observed. Reinforcements for the 
enemy arrived, and Captain Lowell led his squadron 
to the charge. The enemy retreated in the direction 
of some buildings from which a heavy fire was poured 
into Lowell's squadron as soon as the retreating foe 
had passed them. Another squadron of Confederates 
then came up on the flank. The regiment being still 
in column on the road. Captain Sanders led his troop 
through a gap in the fence and boldly charged this 
squadron and forced it to retreat. Still another 
squadron of the enemy now came in sight, advancing 
rapidly, but Captain Sanders quickly rallied his men 
and led them against the enemy who had last come 
upon the field, threw them into confusion, and com- 
pelled a retreat. It was now clearly apparent that the 



1 8 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaff ee 

advance guard had encountered the enemy in force 
and was greatly outnumbered. 

The recall was sounded and Captain Sanders with- 
drew his men. Captain Lowell had pursued through 
the town beyond the sound of the recall, but by prompt 
action he managed to withdraw before the enemy had 
recovered sufficiently to recognize the smallness of the 
opposing force. The loss in this action was four 
killed, eight wounded, and three missing, a baptism 
of cavalry fighting for this new regiment. Our young 
Ohio boy absorbed the lessons of this combat to the 
full and forever after held Sanders and Lowell in 
memory as his ideals of cavalrymen.^ 

There was no lack of opportunity for Chaffee to get 
military experience in this campaign. The regiment 
to which he belonged led the advance up the Peninsula, 
engaged actively in the efforts to capture Stuart during 
his celebrated raid around the Army of the Potomac, 
was under the personal command of General Stoneman 
during the Seven Days' Battle, and acted as rear 
guard when the cavalry withdrew down the Peninsula 
to Fort Monroe. The regiment then returned by 
transports up the James to Harrison's Landing and 
covered the withdrawal of the Army of the Potomac, 
the Sixth Cavalry comprising the extreme rear guard 
after having led the advance up the Peninsula. 

' Captain William P. Sanders and Captain Charles R. Lowell emerged 
from McClellan's peninsular campaign with high reputations which led 
to larger fields of usefulness. Both reached the rank of brigadier general 
of volunteers. General Sanders was killed at Knoxville and General 
Lowell received his mortal wound while leading the Reserve Brigade to 
the charge at the battle of Cedar Creek in the Shenandoah Valley, the Sixth 
Cavalry being one of the regiments of that brigade. 



The Peninsular Campaign 19 

In recommending that authority be granted the 
Sixth Cavalry to inscribe ''Malvern Hill, August 5, 
1862" upon its colors, General Pleasanton said: 

The Sixth Regular Cavalry, the Eighth Pennsylvania 
Cavalry, the Eighth lUinois Cavalry, Robertson's battery 
of horse artillery, and Benson's battery of horse artillery 
were the only troops that were actually engaged with the 
enemy on that day; the only troops that followed in pur- 
suit, and were the last to leave the field when the army was 
withdrawn. They victoriously closed the fighting of the 
Army of the Potomac on the Peninsula. 

The evacuation of Harrison's Landing by the Army 
of the Potomac having been completed on August 18, 
1862, Sergeant Chaffee marched with his regiment, 
as rear guard of the army, through Charles City Court 
House and reached Yorktown on August 20, 1862. 

In this brief but arduous campaign the regiment 
had earned the right to emblazon upon its colors the 
names of ten battles and combats in which it had 
participated with honor, and in all these Sergeant 
Chaffee had borne well his part, as attested by those 
in authority over him as well as by those comrades who 
had had their baptism of fire with him. 

The regiment had repeatedly engaged with the 
flower of the Confederate army, Stuart's cavalry, which 
was made up of young men who furnished their own 
horses and had been accustomed to the saddle from 
childhood. During the campaign Sergeant Chaffee 
won the highest praise for capturing the wagon train of 
General Winder's brigade. 



CHAPTER IV 
ANTIETAM AND FREDERICKSBURG 

General Lee's movement from Richmond to the 
north, to carry the war into the enemy's country, 
caused an immediate and urgent demand for the 
return of the Army of the Potomac. The Sixth 
Cavalry was hurriedly embarked on transports at 
Yorktown on August 31, 1862, and arrived at Alex- 
andria, below Washington, the next day. The regi- 
ment was disembarked at once and moved forward 
to overtake the Confederate forces, which were march- 
ing northward and already threatening Washington. 
The enemy's cavalry was encountered within a few 
miles, at Falls Church, and in the combat which took 
place there the regiment lost four men killed and 
wounded. 

The near approach of General Lee's forces to 
Washington caused the withdrawal of the regiment 
across the Potomac during the night of September 5, 
1862. The passage of the stream was effected at 
the Aqueduct Bridge, and the regiment moved rapidly 
through Tennallytown and Darnestown to Dawsonville 
before halting for rest. Passing through Barnesville, 
it sent scouting parties toward Point of Rocks and 
found the enemy at Sugar Loaf Mountain. Rein- 
forced by two guns, the Sixth Cavalry, under com- 
mand of Captain Sanders, moved to the attack and 



Antietam and Fredericksburg 21 

attempted to dislodge the enemy. The attack failed, 
and after some casualties had been sustained the action 
was suspended, to await the arrival of reinforcements. 
Two days later the regiment reached Middletown and 
sent detachments to guard the fords of the Potomac 
from the mouth of the Monocacy to Knoxville. 

Stuart crossed the Potomac on September 10, on his 
raid into Maryland and Pennsylvania, and crossed 
back into Virginia, under the fire of Pleasanton's guns, 
on September 19, 1862, after having passed around the 
entire Federal army. The service of the cavalry under 
General Pleasanton had been most exhausting, and, 
while the men were getting a splendid war experience, 
the horses were broken down by long hours under the 
saddle and continued lack of forage. General Pleasan- 
ton, reporting on these operations, said: 

The services of this division [cavalry] from the 4th of 
September up to the 19th were of the most constant and 
arduous character. For fifteen successive days we were 
in contact with the enemy, and each day conflicts of some 
kind were maintained, in which we steadily advanced. 
The officers and men have exerted themselves to insure the 
success of every expedition, and these efforts have been 
fortunate. 

Captain W. P. Sanders and five other officers of the 
Sixth Cavalry were mentioned for gallant services. 

In the midst of operations of great armies individ- 
uals are of small moment so long as they perform 
cheerfully and courageously the arduous duties imposed 
upon them. It is of some interest, however, in record- 
ing Sergeant Chaffee's services at this time, to note 



22 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

that so well had he played his part that, although only 
twenty years of age, he was promoted to first sergeant 
of Troop K, Sixth Cavalry, on September 26, 1862. 

When Lee's army crossed back into Virginia, after 
the battle of Antietam, the cavalry of the Army of 
the Potomac was badly in need of recuperation, but 
no time for rest was available. The ensuing weeks 
were filled with activity for the command to which 
First Sergeant Chaffee belonged. Many engagements 
occurred with the enemy before the regiment finally 
reached its stations on November 24, 1862, along 
the Rappahannock River. During this period the 
enemy had been engaged at Charlestown, Philomont, 
Union, Upperville, Barbee's Cross Roads, Little 
Washington, and Corbin's Cross Roads before reach- 
ing the Rappahannock River. 

The regiment continued picketing the fords of the 
Rappahannock until daylight on December 12, 1862, 
when it withdrew and marched to the Phillips House, 
near Fredericksburg, to participate in the battle about 
to begin on that historic field. The army had begun 
crossing below Fredericksburg, while a pontoon bridge 
was being constructed immediately opposite the city. 
This bridge was completed about noon, and at 3 : 00 p.m. 
a squadron of the Sixth Cavalry, composed of D and K 
troops, was orderd to cross and make a reconnaissance 
of the enemy's works. First Sergeant Chaffee was at 
the head of K Troop. 

The squadron marched through the town and thence 
to the foot of Marye's Heights and the adjoining 
ridges. The advance guard was allowed to approach 



Antietam and Fredericksburg 23 

the Confederate positions from which the main attack 
of the magnificent Army of the Potomac was soon to 
recoil in defeat. When the squadron had approached 
as near as the Confederates deemed it advisable to 
permit, firing began. The squadron turned to the 
right and galloped along the front of the enemy's 
lines and developed the infantry fire. Although it was 
in rapid motion, two men and eight horses were 
wounded before the squadron again reached the bridge, 
which was recrossed in good order, under fire. This 
incident is the subject of a virile picture by the cele- 
brated artist De Thulstrup. 

The battle of Fredericksburg which followed was an 
infantry and artillery fight of great magnitude, and, 
although unsuccessful, the Army of the Potomac could 
not well afford to efface from history the record of its 
defeat, for the valorous assaults on Marye's Heights 
could have been repulsed only by soldiers of the highest 
type. When the situation was reversed at Gettysburg, 
the same Confederate army was defeated by the same 
Army of the Potomac, but Pickett's charge added a 
page of history beside which the "Charge of the Six 
Hundred" pales almost into insignificance. 

During the battle of Fredericksburg, following the 
recrossing of the squadron, the Sixth Cavalry was 
posted in the rear of Falmouth in support of the bat- 
teries guarding the right flank, and remained there in 
position until the evening of December 13, when it 
was withdrawn. 



CHAPTER V 

PICKETING THE RAPPAHANNOCK; STONE- 
MAN'S RAID; GETTYSBURG 

After the battle of Fredericksburg the regiment 
went into camp near Falmouth, where it remained 
through the winter and until April 13, 1863, performing 
picket duty along the Rappahannock at United 
States, Richards' and Banks' fords above, and Corbin's 
Neck below, Fredericksburg. 

The regiment had been for some time under that 
excellent officer, Captain W. P. Sanders, and, although 
originally recruited in the same manner as the volun- 
teer regiments, it had won fame in its recent campaigns 
and had become Regulars in fact as well as in name. 
While it was posted along the Rappahannock, General 
Wade Hampton, one of the able and energetic Con- 
federate cavalry commanders, selected detachments 
from his division and crossed the river at Kelly's Mill, 
entered the Federal lines, captured pickets to within a 
few miles of Falmouth, and returned safely across the 
river. In his report he says: 

A part of my plan was to have cut off the forces at 
Richards' Ferry, but, though I got completely in their 
rear, I was forced reluctantly to abandon my design. The 
Sixth Regiment of Regulars was on post there, and I had 
to leave them for another time. 

The cavalry had exhibited magnificent fighting 
qualities on many fields of battle, but the true uses 
of that arm, and its capabilities when it was properly 

24 



Stoneman's Raid; Gettysburg 25 

handled, were not appreciated at that time by anyone 

powerful enough in council to rectify abuses and stop 

the enormous waste of horses. 

Side-lights of war are always of interest. One of 

Sergeant Chaffee's comrades of the Sixth Cavalry 

occupied himself one Sunday morning with writing this 

letter : 

Banks of the Rappahannock, Virginia 

-r^ , , Sunday morning 

Dear Mother: -^ ° 

Being very hard off for paper and ink and something to 
write on, I take one-half of the sheet of paper you sent me 
and sit down to answer your welcome letter which I 
received this morning. At present I am on picket duty 
only a short distance across the river from the rebel pickets. 
We are in sight of each other. I am writing this on the 
butt of my carbine. There is another man on post with 
me; he is a Scotchman. He keeps me in good humor all 
the time telling stories. He is talking to the Secesh all 
the time. They asked him to what regiment he belonged. 
He told them it was the ist Dublin. We don't fire at 
one another unless someone attempts to cross the river. 
The weather is very pleasant at present, but the nights 
are cold. We get along very well. We have a fire to 
warm ourselves. I like to stand picket in good weather; 
but it is very nasty work in bad weather. We are going 
to have a good dinner. One of the boys has killed a hog, 
so we will have pork steaks today. We get plenty of corn 
cakes from the farmers. We have to stop out here eight 
days. We are out six now. I wish the war was at an end. 
As soon as the war is over I shall quit the service for good 

and settle down Your affectionate son, 

James 



26 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

It will be remembered that young Chaffee, now 
twenty years of age, had been advanced to the rank of 
first sergeant during the Antietam campaign in the 
autumn of 1862. The position is one of the highest 
importance and is concerned with the discipline and 
efficiency of the army at its very foundation. Usually 
men are selected as first sergeants in the Regulars 
from those of long experience. Those were war times, 
however, and men learned rapidly the essentials and 
discarded the nonessentials. Every effort was made 
to complete the equipment and perfect the instruction 
of men and horses while they were in the camp at Fal- 
mouth, and First Sergeant Chaffee, vigorous, earnest, 
and patriotic, received the finishing touches which 
qualified him for further promotion. 

There had been much to contend with, but when 
"boots and saddles" sounded on April 13, 1863, for 
the "Stoneman Raid," the Sixth Cavalry turned out 
six hundred and sixty-one men mounted and well 
equipped for the expedition. Stoneman's Raid stands 
out unrivaled in the annals of the Civil War for hard- 
ships and discomforts. Starting from their camps 
at Falmouth, each trooper packed thirty pounds of 
grain on his horse, besides his own rations. Each 
troop had six pack mules. Owing to improper packing 
and the necessity for keeping the packs on for long 
periods in very bad weather, the mules were quickly 
disabled by sore backs. From May 2 until May 8 the 
command was out of supplies, except such as could be 
obtained by foraging parties while marching rapidly 
in a country already despoiled of provisions. Ninety- 



Stoneman's Raid; Gettysburg 27 

three horses gave out, fifty-one were killed, and 
seven captured by the enemy. The regiment captured 
twenty-nine horses and thirteen mules — not enough 
to make an appreciable showing as compared with the 
loss. No good results attended this raid commen- 
surate with the labor involved and the breaking down 
of horses and men. The battle of Chancellorsville 
was fought during the absence of Stoneman's com- 
mand. The presence of Stuart's cavalry with Lee's 
army aided much in making a success of the great 
flanking movement which brought the Army of the 
Potomac to the verge of ruin. 

The conduct of First Sergeant Chaffee during 
Stoneman's Raid, April 29 to May 7, 1863, and prior 
services attracted most favorable comment in the 
regiment and brought about recommendations for his 
promotion to the rank of second lieutenant, which 
occurred on May 12, 1863,^ in time for him to partici- 
pate as an officer in the next movement against Stuart's 
cavalry, which resulted in the severe battle of Beverly 
Ford, June 9, 1863. The regiment lost one-third of 
its officers in this battle, which raged all day in the 
forests and clearings bordering on the Rappahannock. 
Until this battle took place Stuart's cavalry divisions 
had held those of the Army of the Potomac in great 
contempt, so far as mounted fighting was concerned. 
The men not only showed an unflinching readiness to 
follow their officers in every charge, but when, through 

' The order for the promotion of First Sergeant Chaffee was written 
by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton on an official envelope, which is 
still preserved at the War Department and of which the accompanying 
illustration (facing page 28) is a photographic copy. 



28 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

the losses of battle, three troops were left without 
officers, the sergeants gallantly led them in the fray, 
which throughout was the long-hoped-for test of 
strength between the Cavalry Corps of the two armies. 
The Federal cavalry had boldly crossed the river, 
captured Stuart's headquarters, developed Lee's march 
toward Pennsylvania, and fearlessly engaged their 
opponents, fighting mounted or dismounted as occa- 
sion demanded. 

An incident of this battle remained always fresh in 
the mind of General Chaffee and his comrades. Lieu- 
tenant Ward commanded one of the squadrons which 
twice charged when the enemy attempted to flank the 
line of Federal skirmishers. The enemy was driven 
away with loss by both charges, but in the last Ward 
fell at the head of his squadron while endeavoring to 
seize the enemy's battle flag. It was believed that 
Ward was not mortally wounded, and he was carried on 
the regimental returns as a prisoner in the hands of 
the enemy. He had been seen by a sergeant to fall, 
shot through the breast, but still alive. The day 
after the battle the enemy gave notice that an officer 
of the Sixth had been killed in the charge, and later 
officers of the regiment held in Libby Prison in Rich- 
mond sent word that Ward had never been with them. 
During January, 1864, when the cavalry was again 
encamped at the scene of the battle of June 9, 1863, a 
farmer living in the vicinity recognized the insignia 
of the Sixth Cavalry and informed the men that he 
had assisted in burying one of their officers. General 
Pleasanton's headquarters were then on the hill over 



::x^^ / 



/^k6 AC ^ 




PHOTOGRAPH OF SECRETARY OF WAR E. M. STANTON'S ORDER 

FOR APPOINTMENT OF SERGEANT CHAFFEE TO BE 

A SECOND LIEUTENANT 



Stoneman's Raid; Gettysburg 29 

which the regiment had charged and where Ward was 
seen to fall. The spot was located and the body dis- 
interred and identified. Many years after the author 
received a package of papers containing Ward's 
commission, recovered from his effects by one of his 
comrades, but no trace of any of his relatives was ever 
obtained. 

When Hooker effected the passage of the Army of 
the Potomac across the Rappahannock the previous 
month, Lee had good cause to fear for the safety of his 
army. With Jackson's wonderful flank attack, where 
success was achieved at the terrible cost to the Con- 
federacy of his valuable life, Lee was relieved of imme- 
diate anxiety concerning Richmond and made plans to 
carry the war to the north. This having been dis- 
closed by the cavalry attack at Beverly Ford, Hooker 
proposed to the President that Lee be met by such 
other troops as could be assembled to confront him, 
while he. Hooker, should move on Richmond with the 
Army of the Potomac. President Lincoln had been 
the victim of superabundant advice, but had developed 
into a strategist himself. His reply was characteristic : 
"I think Lee's army, and not Richmond, is your 
objective point. If he comes toward the upper 
Potomac, follow on his flank and on his inside track, 
shortening your lines while he lengthens his. Fight 
him, too, when opportunity offers. If he stays where 
he is, fret him and fret him." 

The race for the north began. The cavalry, 
moving on Lee's flank and covering Washington, kept 
constantly in contact with the enemy. Lieutenant 



30 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Chaffee and his comrades had many fights during 
the campaign. The first occurred at Benton's Mill, 
June 17, 1863, while they were on the road from 
Aldie to Middleburg, Virginia. The Sixth Cavalry 
remained near the scene of the combat until June 2 1 , 
when it joined General Gregg's command and had a 
running fight between Middleburg and Upperville, 
in which nearly all the cavalry of both armies finally 
engaged. 

The Sixth Cavalry returned to Aldie on June 22, and 
marched thence, via Leesburg, and crossed the Potomac 
at Edwards' Ferry, and the Monocacy, near its mouth ; 
thence via Point of Rocks, Maryland, and Mechanics- 
town. 

The Sixth Cavalry, as part of General Merritt's 
command, remained on the flank during July i and 2, 
1863, while the battle of Gettysburg raged and ap- 
proached its zenith. Then General Merritt detached 
the regiment to Fairfield, on the road leading to 
Gettysburg from the northwest, to capture a wagon 
train, while the rest of the brigade moved toward 
Gettysburg by way of Farmington. Fairfield was 
reached at noon, where two troops were sent along the 
base of the mountain, while the regiment continued on 
the main road to Gettysburg. About a mile from 
Fairfield the enemy's pickets were met and forced 
back to their supports. As the regiment pressed 
forward, the Seventh Virginia Cavalry was en- 
countered and driven back to the forks of the road 
from which two Confederate brigades of cavalry, 
commanded by Robertson and Jones, could be seen 



Stoneman's Raid; Gettysburg 31 

by the Sixth Cavalry, which was close enough to hear 
the command, "Draw sabers!" as the enemy came 
forward to the charge. 

The two advance squadrons of the Sixth United 
States Cavalry were in the road between post and rail 
fences and could not form line or join those in the 
fields before they were charged by the Sixth Virginia 
Cavalry, supported by the two brigades. The regi- 
ment was caught in a bad plight far from any help 
from Merritt's column, but remained firm and con- 
tinued firing until literally ridden down. 

The squadron near the foot of the mountain charged 
the enemy to relieve the pressure upon those in the 
road, but when the squadron commander, Captain 
Cram, was captured, the next in command retreated, 
fighting his way back in the direction of Mechanics- 
town, and rejoined the brigade. The regiment lost 
heavily in this fight, but interrupted the operations of 
the two brigades of Virginians endeavoring to get to 
the rear of the Federal army. The Sixth Cavalry 
went into this fight, known as Fairfield, with less 
than four hundred men and lost two hundred and 
thirty-two killed, wounded, and captured. The regi- 
mental commander, Major Starr, and Lieutenants 
Tucker, Wood, and Chaffee were wounded. In 
attempting to cut his way out with a few men Lieuten- 
ant Balder was killed. Chaflfee was among the cap- 
tured. 

The Confederate commander endeavored to parole 
Lieutenant Chaffee, but he refused to accept a parole 
on the field, in obedience to a recent War Department 



32 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

order, issued some months earlier when Mosby's men 
slipped in between the Sixth Cavalry camp and General 
Buford's headquarters, and, concealing themselves in a 
grove through which the road ran, captured the com- 
manding officer of the Sixth Cavalry and several 
officers and men. Fearing that they could not make 
their way out with the prisoners, the guerrillas paroled 
them and escaped capture themselves. As a result 
of his refusal to be paroled Lieutenant Chaffee was 
abandoned with the other wounded. For his gallant 
and meritorious services in this fight he was brevetted 
first lieutenant on July 3, 1863. 

The remnant of the regiment, after the fight at 
Fairfield, had just rejoined the brigade when it was 
engaged again at Boonsboro and the day following at 
Funkstown. The regiment then had lost all but a 
few officers and men and was ordered to corps head- 
quarters for escort and courier duty. By the end of 
August many men had found their way back to the 
regiment, and when Lieutenant Chaffee was able 
to rejoin early in September he found eight officers 
and four hundred and sixty men ready to take the 
saddle again. 

On September 12, 1863, Lieutenant Chaffee, in 
command of his troop, marched with the regiment to 
the Rappahannock River, crossed the following day, 
and engaged Stuart's cavalry at Brandy Station, 
After driving the enemy across the Rapidan the regi- 
ment withdrew with the Cavalry Corps to Culpeper and 
remained there for a month, when the Confederate 
army advanced in force. 



Stoneman's Raid; Gettysburg 33 

On October 1 1 the Sixth Cavalry withdrew toward 
Brandy Station and took its position on the right of the 
road, and some distance from it, fronting toward 
Culpeper. The skirmish hne in front was held by 
the Harris Light Cavalry, which withdrew and passed 
to the rear, leaving the Sixth Cavalry exposed to attack 
from flank and rear, its position being at the extremity 
of a field bordered on three sides by dense undergrowth. 
The commanding officer, Major Morris, finding himself 
thus isolated, was in the act of withdrawing from the 
position when a column of Confederate cavalry made 
its appearance on the opposite side of the field. It 
was of the greatest importance to gain the road and 
go around the point of undergrowth before the Con- 
federates should cross the field and gain that point and 
block escape. A rapid gait was taken, and as the point 
of undergrowth was turned a severe fire was poured 
into the head of the column, by mistake on the part 
of the Harris Light Cavalry, which had taken a position 
behind the timber. Lieutenant Chaffee, commanding 
the leading troop. Surgeon Forwood, and one private 
were wounded and Sergeant Ellsworth killed. While 
the head of the column was being fired on by friends, 
the rear was charged by the Confederates and two 
privates were captured. This unfortunate incident 
was brought vividly to mind, thirty-seven years later 
in Lieutenant Chaffee's career, while he was com- 
manding the American forces engaged in the operations 
for the relief of legations in Pekin, China, when a 
number of his men were killed and wounded by the 
fire of European allies. 



34 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

Lieutenant Chaffee was again invalided by wounds ; 
but with an exceptionally robust constitution he soon 
recovered and rejoined his troop in November. The 
regiment had been engaged during his absence, but 
without suffering any losses. 

The regiment took up its old line of march back 
toward Brandy Station, went into camp on December i, 
1863, and began the erection of huts and stables for 
the winter. By the end of December thirteen officers 
and six hundred and fifteen men were present. The 
regiment remained in this cantonment for five months, 
and during that period its efficiency was greatly in- 
creased by the issue of Sharp's breech-loading carbines 
and new-model Colt revolvers. The Cavalry Corps 
which emerged from winter quarters and fell under 
General Sheridan's command had become infinitely 
more self-sustaining in its dismounted fighting by 
reason of the opportunity for instruction during the 
period of rest from active operations. 



CHAPTER VI 
SHERIDAN'S RAID TO RICHMOND 

General Sheridan assumed command of the Cavalry- 
Corps of the Army of the Potomac on April 6, 1864, 
and immediately set about having the cavalry relieved 
from the arduous and harassing picket duty which had 
been its portion under General Meade and other com- 
manders of that army. This afforded an opportunity 
to give a brief rest to the horses and to fit out the 
various commands for the active operations about to 
commence, with the object of breaking Lee's com- 
munications and defeating Stuart's cavalry. 

There had been a lamentable loss of power in the 
Army of the Potomac from the very beginning of the 
war, because the great value of concerted cavalry 
action was not appreciated. Notwithstanding the 
excellent account which that arm had given of itself 
on every field, it had immediately been returned to 
picket duty, much of which could have been performed 
readily by infantry, and the horses might have been 
thus saved from the semi-starvation incident to being 
scattered along the banks of streams where it was 
impossible to deliver forage. It was therefore with 
universal satisfaction that the authority was received 
to cease guarding trains and picketing the infantry 
camps and to go after Stuart's cavalry. Many of the 
senior officers of the Sixth Cavalry had been advanced 

35 



36 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

to higher rank in the Volunteers, and to the young 
juniors fell the privilege of taking the regiment through 
under Sheridan to the closing scenes at Appomattox. 

Lieutenant Chaffee's troop was fit and ready for 
action when the regiment was sent from winter can- 
tonments to reconnoiter Germania Ford, Mine Run, 
and United States Ford on May 4, 1864, and then to 
Chancellorsville in time to go with the Cavalry Corps 
to Todd's Tavern and participate in the encounter 
at that place. 

Then began preparations for Sheridan's Raid 
toward Richmond, around Lee's army, which was a 
very different operation from that of Stoneman. The 
Sixth Cavalry marched May 9, 1864, on the Fredericks- 
burg and Richmond pike, crossing the North Anna 
River after dark. The clouds of dust attracted the 
attention of the enemy, who took up the pursuit and 
opened with artillery fire on the corps headquarters 
at daylight. However, the march was promptly 
resumed toward Beaver Dam Station, the enemy 
frequently attacking the rear guard. Stuart realized 
the full danger of the situation and hastened his 
force at a killing pace to head off Sheridan's troops 
and put his own between the enemy and Richmond. 
At Yellow Tavern, six miles from Richmond, Stuart 
turned and struck Sheridan. A severe engagement 
took place, resulting in the defeat of the Confederates 
and the death of their famous commander, J. E. B. 
Stuart. This was a disastrous action for the Con- 
federate cavalry, which was never again the same 
important factor it had been in the past. Stuart's 



Sheridan'' s Raid to Richmond 37 

corps practically ceased to exist, and the cavalry 
divisions were assigned thereafter to duty under 
General Lee's personal direction. 

Sheridan continued his march after the battle, and 
at daylight the next morning, May 12, 1864, the 
column reached the bluffs overlooking the Mechanics- 
ville pike, where Sheridan massed his command between 
the first and second lines around Richmond. Shells 
had been buried in the road, and one of them exploded 
as the Sixth Cavalry passed over it. It became 
evident that the column could not pass between the 
Confederate fortifications and the Chickahominy. 
Custer's brigade was then detailed to repair Meadow 
Bridge and force a crossing, which was attempted under 
a heavy fire from the enemy posted on the opposite side. 
Merritt's division was finally sent in to accomplish 
what appeared to be too much for a brigade. The 
bridge was floored with rails and planks and a column 
pushed across. The defeat of the Confederates 
intrenched opposite this bridge, and the repulse of the 
two brigades which came out from Richmond, ended 
their hopes of doing anything to impede seriously 
Sheridan's cavalry. 

Lieutenant Chaffee's troop remained with the col- 
umn until it arrived at Bottom's Bridge, when his 
regiment was detached and ordered to Fort Monroe 
to hurry forward supplies. The regiment marched 
to Williamsburg the first day — a distance of fifty 
miles — and with little or no delay for rest continued 
the march to Fort Monroe, arriving the next day 
and delivering General Sheridan's dispatches. The 



38 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Sixth Cavalry marched back and met the Cavalry 
Corps at the White House. After receiving the much- 
needed supplies Sheridan resumed the march and 
rejoined the Army of the Potomac on May 22, 1864, 
near Chesterfield Station on the Richmond & Freder- 
icksburg Railroad. 

This expedition had fulfilled Sheridan's expecta- 
tions and knitted together the force with which he was 
later to deal the final blow to the Army of Northern 
Virginia. To the young lieutenants of Chaffee's 
generation it was an inspiration and a never-ending 
source of reminiscence in after-years at the camp fires of 
the frontier. At the time of the occurrences there 
was little opportunity for reflection and exchange of 
views, for scenes were changing rapidly. 

The regiment participated in the general advance 
of the Army of the Potomac on the Pamunkey. Cross- 
ing on the pontoon bridge at old Hanovertown, the 
regiment proceeded to the vicinity of Hawe's Shop, 
where a severe cavalry engagement took place on 
May 28, 1864. Pushing on to Cold Harbor, the 
regiment effected the capture of that important point 
after a hard fight against both cavalry and infantry. 
The regiment to which Chaffee belonged was on the 
left on June i and did not participate actively in the 
fighting between the two armies on that day. Follow- 
ing the battle the regiment moved next day down the 
Chickahominy to the vicinity of Bottom's Bridge, 
the Confederates being on the opposite side. 

On June 7, 1864, the Sixth Cavalry, provided with 
three days' rations to last five days, and with two days' 



Sheridan's Raid to Richmond 39 

grain on the saddles, started with General Sheridan on 
the raid to Trevilian Station to cut the Virginia Central 
Railroad near Charlottesville. The advance was con- 
tinually contested by the enemy until Trevilian Station 
was reached on June 11, when a severe battle took place 
with Fitzhugh Lee's and Hampton's cavalry divisions, 
resulting in their defeat. The return march was 
begun on June 12, and it was not until the North Anna 
had been crossed that the horses were unsaddled and 
allowed to graze. They had been without food for 
two days and were nearly famished. 

On June 15 the Cavalry Corps crossed the Mat- 
tapony on the pontoon bridge where the Sixth Cavalry 
was posted to await the arrival of detachments left 
behind. After all had crossed, the bridge was taken 
up on June 18, and the regiment rejoined the corps the 
next day. On June 21 the regiment crossed on the 
railroad bridge and marched to New Baltimore and 
thence to the James River, arriving at Willcox's 
Landing on June 26. The river was crossed in boats 
on June 28 and the enemy was engaged at Dabney's 
Mills the next day. On June 30 the regiment returned 
to the vicinity of City Point, Virginia. The Cavalry 
Corps had now been marching and fighting for fifty-six 
consecutive days, and was placed in camp near Light 
House Point to rest and refit. The loss of horses had 
been serious throughout the war. The hard riding and 
lack of forage during this period had played havoc, and 
nearly six thousand unserviceable animals were turned 
in at City Point for recuperation under the cavalry 
bureau. 



4© The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

A kinsman of Lieutenant Chaffee who was a surgeon 
in the Sixth Ohio Cavalry, writing of Sheridan's Raid 
to Richmond, says: 

Early on the morning of the 9th we were in motion, the 
object being to get away from Lee's infantry before meeting 
Stuart's cavalry. It was early spring, and a cloudless sky 
and clear invigorating atmosphere contributed to render 
the day nearly perfect. Our regiment, the Sixth Ohio, 
brought up the extreme rear, and the beauty and quiet of 
the day was still upon us, when, as we made a turn through 
a stretch of wood, the advance was startled by the well- 
known Confederate yell, accompanied by rapid firing. 
The colonel commanding, turning in his saddle, saw the 
rear of his regiment scattering in every direction closely 
pressed by the attacking party. In an instant everything 
was in the utmost confusion. The artillery, pack-train, 
and forming bodies of troops seemed to be inextricably 
mixed, and the writer found himself in a sort of pande- 
monium, separated from every familiar face, and uncertain 
which way to turn, to avoid the increasing fire, or to find 
a post of duty. Just then a staff officer galloped past, and 
with a shout, ''You are wanted this way. Doctor," he 
swept by and I followed on. 

In a moment a position was attained enabling me to 
witness the rare sight of cavalry fighting hand to hand 
with sabre and pistol. The excitement was too great to 
allow the details to be firmly fixed in mind. A swaying 
mass of horsemen, and the roar of a section of artillery 
in the rear, were the main impressions made. Only one 
distinct act can be recalled at this day. The adjutant of 
the regiment, whose death occurred but a short time subse- 
quently, had just received the ineffectual fire of a Southern 
soldier. With horses careering side by side, he had 



Sheridan's Raid to Richmond 41 

grasped the Confederate by the collar of his coat with one 
hand, and with the other was in the act of striking him 
from his saddle with the butt of his pistol. 

One poor fellow was lying upon the turf bleeding and 
pale, and dismounting, I gave the reins of my horse to an 
attendant who had just joined me. It was anything but 
a pleasant time or place for the exercise of the gentle 
ministrations of the healing art. Bullets were whistling 
through the air on every side, and it needed only the ear 
to assure us that the enemy was in close proximity. The 
wounded man was too weak to lift his head from the ground, 
and as I was intently examining the arm, through which a 
bullet had passed, the startling cry of "Here they come!" 
was heard. 

We were in a plowed field, and in looking up a body 
of Confederate cavalry was seen, not over a hundred yards 
away, coming toward us as rapidly as the nature of the 
ground would permit, firing their carbines and with all 
manner of exclamations. 

Not one of us stood on the order of his going. The 
orderly gallantly led the flight, followed by the surgeon, 
who was in turn followed by the wounded man. He, poor 
fellow, had not feigned anything, as he lay there appar- 
ently unable to rise. It was only the stimulus of imminent 
danger that enabled him to leap unassisted to his feet and 
to his saddle. My own horse, left to himself, started, and 
there was only time to grasp him around the neck and 
throw one leg over the saddle. The efforts of the thor- 
oughly terrified horse, as he plunged through the soft earth, 
were frantic enough, but not more so than my own as I 
strained every nerve to retain my hold and right myself. 
Success finally crowned these efforts, and our speed was 
further rewarded by the welcome sight of a fine of our own 



42 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

forces just ahead. These were flanked, and as we came 
to a halt the wounded man was close at our heels. In a 
sudden attack such as this there could be no very satis- 
factory or permanent alignment. The scene constantly 
shifted; hence no sooner had we alighted, and stretched the 
almost fainting man upon the ground, than we had the 
extraordinary experience of being exposed for a second 
time in five minutes to the enemy's charge, and were com- 
pelled to fly once more; this time we did not halt until we 
had safely outdistanced that persistent body of rebels. 

Referring to the withdrawal from Trevilian Station, 
the same surgeon said : 

After midnight the withdrawal was successfully accom- 
plished, and with entire secrecy, and a backward march 
began, which in some respects was more painful than 
anything we experienced before or after. We had captured 
six hundred prisoners, who had to be guarded, and were 
encumbered with nearly the same number of wounded 
men. We were far from our base of supplies, and five 
hundred helpless men, suffering from injuries of almost 
every conceivable character, had to be transported for 
days, over rough roads, in ambulances, and in army wagons 
without springs, and in the heat and thick dust of summer. 

Look not for the extremest horrors of war upon the 
battlefield, however awful the carnage or cruel the adver- 
sary, but find it rather in some of the experiences of prison 
life and the unutterable and prolonged agonies of a retro- 
grade march, such as ours of eight days' duration. 

From sunrise to sunset the long cavalcade of canvas- 
covered vehicles toiled along with jar and jolt, enveloped 
in clouds of dust and eliciting from the wretched sufferers 
a continuous succession of groans and heartrending cries. 



1 



Sheridan's Raid to Richmond 43 

Soldiers in general know little of such scenes as these. 
The excitement and danger of the battle over, the resultant 
suffering is quickly removed and left to its proper care. 

Lieutenant Chaffee and his comrades were not 
destined to enjoy a prolonged rest. General James H. 
Wilson's division had been attacked by both cavalry 
and infantry during a detached operation and forced 
to withdraw by a circuitous route. General Sheridan 
made a rapid march from Reams Station to Wilson's 
relief and took the Sixth Cavalry with him. 



CHAPTER VII 
WITH SHERIDAN IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY 

General Sheridan was relieved from duty with the 
Army of the Potomac on August i, 1864, and assigned 
to the command of the Middle Military Division and 
the Department of the Shenandoah Valley. L Troop, 
Sixth Cavalry, accompanied the General as his escort, 
and on August 12 the remaining troops of the regi- 
ment embarked on transports at Light House Point, and 
disembarked the following day at Giesboro Point, 
the great remount depot of the Civil War, opposite 
the present Army War College, Washington. Three 
days were spent here exchanging horses, and on 
August 15 the regiment marched over the familiar 
route of the Antietam campaign — Rockville, Frederick, 
and Harpers Ferry — and thence to Berry ville in the 
Shenandoah Valley, where the Cavalry Corps was 
assembled. 

The regiment remained in camp until September 19, 
1864. At 3 : 00 A.M. that morning the call to arms was 
sounded, the regiment went into position on the front 
and left, and the battle of Winchester then took place. 
The Confederates were defeated and retreated up the 
Shenandoah Valley; the pursuit was begun the next 
morning. The Confederates took up a new position 
at Fishers Hill, but were driven out of it, the battle 
of that name taking place on September 22, 1864. 
The enemy continued to retreat up the Valley, the 

44 



With Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley 45 

Sixth Cavalry reaching Harrisonburg on September 24. 
The return march down the Valley was the occasion 
for destroying everything in the way of forage, wheat, 
and corn and for driving off all the livestock to prevent 
the Confederate forces from relying upon that section 
for any further supplies. 

The SLxth Cavalry went into camp near Cedar 
Creek on October 12, 1864. About 4:00 a.m. on 
October 19 the army was attacked and thrown into 
considerable confusion. The regiment saddled in 
haste and got into line. At break of day it was dis- 
covered that the left had been taken by surprise and 
involved the whole line, which doubled back from left 
to right. Soon after daylight the Confederate army 
obtained possession of the camps and all they con- 
tained. The troops retired on the Sixth Corps, and 
a new line was selected about two miles to the rear 
of the first position on Cedar Creek, The advance 
of the Confederates ceased here. General Sheridan 
arrived on the field from Winchester about three 
o'clock. Soon after his arrival the advance was 
sounded, the tide of battle turned, and the Confederates 
were routed with the loss of their captures of the morn- 
ing, much of their own artillery and trains, and fifteen 
hundred prisoners. At the conclusion of the fight the 
Sixth Cavalry returned to its old camp. 

At this battle General Charles Russell Lowell, 
United States Volunteers, whose regular rank was 
captain of the Sixth Cavalry, and who, it will be re- 
membered, enlisted young Adna Chaffee for his troop, 
was killed under pathetic circumstances. General 



46 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Sheridan had given him command of the Reserve 
Brigade, then composed of the First, Second, and 
Fifth Cavalry, Regulars, and Lowell's volunteer 
regiment, the Second Massachusetts. His brigade 
had been moved to the left, where it took up a position 
at the village of Middletown. A Confederate battery 
in the vicinity was troublesome, and sharpshooters on 
the roofs of buildings in Middletown constantly fired 
at his skirmishers, who were posted along a stone wall. 
Lowell rode forward to reconnoiter, when he was struck 
with great force by a rifle ball which probably glanced 
from the stone wall. While the ball did not penetrate, 
it caused faintness and loss of voice. He was laid 
on the ground and covered by the overcoat of one of 
his staff, where he waited for his strength to return, as 
he had determined to lead when the advance was 
ordered. General Torbert urged him to leave the 
field, but he declined to do so. 

When the order to advance was given, Lowell 
was helped into his saddle — thirteen horses had been 
shot under him during the war — ^and formed his brigade, 
whispering his orders to his aides. He drew his saber 
and took position with the line of colonels in front. 
The bugles sounded and the line moved rapidly for- 
ward. Almost immediately Lowell was struck by a 
bullet and fell. He was carried forward in the rear 
of the advancing cavalry to the village of Middletown, 
where he was taken into a house and laid upon a table. 
He had been shot through from shoulder to shoulder, 
the ball cutting the spinal cord and paralyzing the 
lower part of his body. 



With Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley 47 

He had been recently married, and as his strength 
failed the surgeon of his volunteer regiment placed 
a scrap of paper on a piece of board and held up his 
arm so that he might write a few words of farewell. 
His mind was perfectly clear. He knew he had no 
chance of living, yet while his strength lasted he 
dictated private messages and gave directions about 
his command. As day dawned he ceased speaking 
and passed away. He died at the age of twenty-nine. 
His commission as brigadier general had been signed, 
but had not yet reached him, although he was exercis- 
ing the command. 

The Sixth Cavalry remained at its camp on the 
field of battle until the middle of November, when it 
was withdrawn to Kernstown, near Winchester. It was 
during this period, on November 11, that Chaffee was 
appointed regimental adjutant. Only a few months 
later, on February 22, 1865, he was made first lieutenant. 

The regiment accompanied General Merritt's com- 
mand on the expedition into Loudoun Valley, returning 
on December 10, 1864. On December 19 the regi- 
ment comprised part of General Torbert's command 
in the raid to Gordonsville, returning to its Kernstown 
camp the last day of the year. On February 27, 1865, 
the camps about Winchester were broken up, and the 
Sixth Cavalry marched with General Sheridan up the 
Shenandoah Valley, on the way to join the Army of 
the Potomac for the closing scenes of the war. The 
Cavalry Reserve Brigade at that time consisted of the 
Sixth Regulars, the Sixth Pennsylvania, the First 
Rhode Island, and the Second Massachusetts. 



CHAPTER VIII 
FIVE FORKS; SAILORS CREEK; APPOMATTOX 

The Cavalry Corps joined the Army of the Potomac, 
near Petersburg, on March 27, 1865, and two days 
later went to Dinwiddle Court House, Virginia, en- 
gaged the enemy there on March 30 and 31, and drove 
them into their works at Five Forks. For his services 
in this battle Chaffee was brevetted captain on March 
31, 1865. 

The Sixth Cavalry occupied the extreme right in 
the memorable battle of Five Forks, April i, 1865. 
The Cavalry Corps took up the pursuit next day and 
continued to harass the enemy until April 6, when they 
were compelled to make a stand to save their trains. 
With the Cavalry Corps pressing hard on the flank, 
awaiting a favorable opportunity to attack, Lee's 
infantry was forced to interrupt the march and form 
for battle. The delay enabled the Sixth Corps to 
arrive. The Cavalry Corps proceeded to the attack, 
the Third Cavalry Division executing the charge, 
supported by the other two divisions. This action 
is known as the battle of Sailors Creek and resulted 
in the capture of about ten thousand of General Lee's 
forces. During this battle the remnant of the Sixth 
Cavalry was ordered to dismount and drive the enemy 
from some log huts. The regiment had become so 
reduced that the few men left in the ranks hesitated. 

48 



Five Forks; Sailors Creek; Appomattox 49 

They knew that the war was practically over and that 
the collapse of the enemy's opposition was at hand, 
but when Lieutenant McLellan, a veteran of the 
Mexican War, faced them and said, "Men, let us 
die like soldiers," they rushed for the huts under a 
shower of bullets and gained them with a loss of only 
three men wounded. 

The pursuit was pressed until far into the night, and 
while the little band bearing so bravely the standard 
of the Sixth Cavalry was trying to force a passage 
across a creek in the dark a shell exploded in its midst, 
wounding three men, one of whom died the next day. 
The march was resumed in the morning and continued 
through the following day to Appomattox Station, 
where important captures were made. The day fol- 
lowing, April 9, 1865, the Confederates made a des- 
perate attack upon the cavalry at Clover Hill, but the 
arrival of infantry supports about 9:00 a.m. relieved 
the cavalry, which at once proceeded at a gallop to 
the enemy's left with a view to charging that flanlc. 
On nearing the Confederate lines, however, the cavalry 
met the bearer of a flag of truce, requesting a cessation 
of hostilities, as General Lee had decided to surrender. 
At 4 : GO P.M. the surrender was announced. 

Between May 5, 1864, and April 9, 1865, the day 
on which Lee's Army of Northern Virginia surrendered, 
the Cavalry Corps captured and sent to the War 
Department two hundred and five battle flags, taken 
in battle from troops as brave and determined as ever 
faced a foe. The number of battle flags nearly equals 
the total sent in by the combined armies of the Union 



50 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

during the entire period of the war. The fire action 
of the Cavalry Corps had been so enormously increased 
by the issue of breech-loading magazine carbines that 
no hesitation occurred in engaging superior numbers 
of infantry still dependent upon the muzzle-loading 
rifles. 

The Sixth Cavalry was now depleted to a shadow 
of the full organization which so proudly marched 
down Pennsylvania Avenue three years previously. 
At the battle of Sailors Creek the regiment had become 
reduced to two officers, Lieutenants McLellan and 
Chaffee, and less than one hundred men present for 
duty. 

Upon the surrender of Johnston's army in North 
Carolina the regiment marched via Richmond to 
Alexandria, where it was reviewed by General Sheridan 
on May 21, 1865, and then went into camp near 
Bladensburg, where it had been first assembled as 
recruits to be organized into a regiment. Again the 
regiment marched down Pennsylvania Avenue, in 
the historic Grand Review, held May 23, 1865, before 
the President and the assembled army commanders. 

The salient features of Sixth Cavalry service during 
this eventful period of our nation's history have been 
traced from its organization until it formed for the 
last charge at Appomattox. Many of its officers 
were appointed to higher grades in the Volunteers — 
Generals Hunter, Emory, Kautz, Carleton, the two 
Greggs, Sanders, Lowell, and others — and rendered 
admirable service. As their places in the regiment, 
under our military system, remained vacant, the duty 



Five Forks; Sailors Creek; Appomattox 51 

and privilege of bearing the standard of the Sixth 
Cavalry eventually devolved upon a small group of 
officers, rarely exceeding a dozen in number at any one 
time, who fought with the regiment through its sixty 
engagements. Eight officers were killed; fifty-three 
men were killed in action, seventeen by accident; fifty- 
three died of wounds and disease, and one hundred and 
twenty- two were wounded. Many of the engage- 
ments in which the regiment participated were historic 
battles. For each battle there should be credited 
weeks and months of outpost and picket duty, weary 
marches, and fruitless scouts that try the strength 
and spirit of troops. Brave officers and men constantly 
returned from hospitals, southern prisons, and camps 
for dismounted men to fill the gaps left in the ranks. 
Life in the cavalry of those days was strenuous and 
hardships continuous. 

Of the group of young officers and men who remained 
with the regiment during the four years following its 
organization none saw more of battle, or of hard 
service in campaign, than Adna R. Chaffee. With 
the exception of the brief periods when he was absent 
recovering from wounds he shared the honor of making 
the war history of his regiment during its first four 
years of existence. The author joined the Sixth 
Cavalry nine years after the Civil War terminated. 
At that time the captains were Chaffee and some of his 
youthful comrades of the Civil War period. They 
were still young in years, but were looked up to with 
reverence by the younger generation as battle-scarred 
veterans of our greatest and fiercest war. Around the 



52 The Life of Lieutenant General Chajfee 

camp fires of the prairie and mountain region of the 
vast Indian frontier conversation constantly drifted 
back to the scenes and incidents of the Civil War. The 
impression was borne in upon the younger officers that 
many of these veterans had individually proven their 
mettle when courage w^as so common a quality that its 
exhibition called for no special consideration. As 
time progressed, it was easily discernible that the 
younger generation was closing up under the influence 
of several of the veterans, and of these latter none had 
a more sincere and devoted following than Major 
Chaffee, as he was known for many years in the Sixth 
Cavalry. As the story of his later services is revealed, 
it will be evident that the confidence of the younger 
generation in the soldierly qualities of Adna R. Chaffee 
had not been misplaced. It is regrettable that in the 
days of his most active and dangerous enterprises — 
the Civil War period — he had not yet formed the habit 
of keeping a journal or writing of his experiences by 
flood and field in the manner which characterized his 
later service. 



CHAPTER IX 
FRONTIER SERVICE IN TEXAS 

With the surrender of Lee's and Johnston's armies 
the Civil War practically closed. Only sufficient troops 
to gather the scattered elements of opposition remain- 
ing in the field were retained, the volunteer regiments 
being sent to their homes as rapidly as transportation 
could be provided. The Regulars were ordered into 
camps for reorganization. The Sixth Cavalry was 
sent to Frederick, Maryland, where it arrived on 
June 14, 1865. The regiment had dwindled sadly, 
as had other regular organizations. The losses could 
not be made up by recruiting during the war. In all 
our wars until the present, politics, patronage, and 
failure to comprehend the situation have prevented the 
estabhshment of regimental depots, where men and 
horses should have been concentrated and trained to 
meet the losses at the front. 

The incomparable Reserve Cavalry Brigade, Army 
of the Potomac, mustered less than five hundred sabers 
during the closing scenes of the great drama enacted 
at Appomattox. The enormous bounties paid by the 
states for volunteers had completely paralyzed recruit- 
ing for the Regulars. It has taken fifty years of effort 
on the part of military men to induce the authorities 
to place upon the statute books a provision for regi- 
mental depots and for universal service by selective 

S3 



54 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

draft. Under the pressure of recent world-events the 
system so necessary for efficiency has been adopted. 

Some of the difficulties which confronted Lieutenant 
Chaffee, who was the regimental adjutant at the time, 
may be understood by an examination of the list of 
officers, showing how their services were being utilized 
under the pressure of war. It will be observed that 
there was not a second lieutenant in the regiment at 
the time. 

The stations and duties of officers of the Sixth 
United States Cavalry on June 30, 1865, were as follows : 

Colonel : 

David Hunter, Major General, Volunteers 
Lieutenant Colonel: 

S. D, Sturgis, Brigadier General, Volunteers 
Majors : 

J. H. Carleton, Brigadier General, Volunteers 

R. M. Morris, commanding regiment 

S. H. Starr, on leave (had lost an arm at Gettysburg) 
Captains : 

A. V. Kautz, Brigadier General, Volunteers 

A. W. Evans, Colonel, First Maryland Cavalry 

W. S. Abert, Colonel, Third Massachusetts Artillery 

J. H. Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel, A.A.G. Volunteers 

J. J. Gregg, Brigadier General, Volunteers 

G. C. Cram, on leave 

J. S. Brisbin, Colonel, Fifth United States Colored 

Cavalry 
I. W. Clafiin, Inspector of Cavalry, Department of 

West Virginia 

B. T. Hutchins, Lieutenant Colonel, First New Hamp- 

shire Cavalry 



Frontier Service in Texas 55 

H. T. McLean, with regiment 
T. Paulding, Recruiting Service, New York City 
J. B. Johnson, Recruiting Service, Cincinnati, Ohio 
First Lieutenants : 

J. F. Wade, Colonel, Sixth United States Colored 

Cavalry 
J. C. Audenreid, Captain, A.D.C. Volunteers 
Henry Tucker, en route to regiment 
J. W. Spangler, A.A.Q.M. at Headquarters, Middle 

Military Division 
C. B. McLellan, with regiment 
Albert Coats, Lieutenant Colonel, Sixth United States 

Colored Cavalry 
Joseph Kerin, mustering duty 
S. M. Whitside, Commissary of Musters 
Daniel Madden, with regiment 
Nicholas Nolan, with regiment 
J. A. Irwin, with regiment 
T, C. Tupper, Recruiting Service, Cavalry Depot, 

Carlisle, Pennsylvania 
L. H. Carpenter, Lieutenant Colonel, Fifth United 

States Colored Cavalry 
J. H. Wood, Lieutenant Colonel, Second New York 

Mounted Rifles 
A. R. Chaffee, with regiment 
Second Lieutenants: 
None 

Hundreds of recruits were received during the sum- 
mer, the majority of them having seen some service in 
the Volunteers. A number of officers, released from 
service with the Volunteers, and the newly appointed 
second lieutenants joined during the summer and 
assisted in getting the regiment ready for duty on the 



56 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Indian frontier. It was no easy matter, however, 
to reorganize and drill a regiment at a time when every- 
one was tired of war and the Volunteers were being 
welcomed home in every village and town of the north. 

The reorganization accomplished, the regiment 
was ordered to Texas for station. The camp at Fred- 
erick was broken up on October 15, 1865, when the 
regiment proceeded by rail to New York, and on 
October 19 embarked on the steamship "Herman 
Livingston." Only a few horses were taken on the 
vessel, which sailed on October 20 for New Orleans. 
A violent storm was encountered off the coast near 
Hatteras, which sent many vessels, including passenger 
steamers, to the bottom. It became necessary to 
lighten the ship, and the regiment was subjected to the 
heart-breaking scene of throwing overboard the horses, 
some of which had carried their riders through the 
closing campaign of the Civil War and were regarded 
with deepest affection. 

The regiment arrived without further mishap at 
New Orleans and went into camp to await a steamer 
for Texas ports. Sailing on the steamship "Clinton," 
the regiment reached Galveston on November 12 
and marched thence to Austin, Texas. A camp was 
established near Austin and named in honor of Cap- 
tain Sanders, who, it will be recalled, had been killed 
while serving as a brigadier general of Volunteers. 
The regimental headquarters remained at this camp 
for nearly three years, during which period Lieutenant 
Chaffee was relieved as adjutant and appointed regi- 
mental and depot quartermaster at Austin on Decem- 



Frontier Service in Texas 57 

ber 12, 1866. Lieutenant Chaffee continued tt) per- 
form the functions of depot quartermaster until 1868 — 
an experience of rare value to him later when called 
to high command. 

While serving as depot quartermaster at Austin, 
Lieutenant Chaffee came to the conclusion that he 
would resign and go into business. He was not yet 
twenty-five years of age, a veteran of fifty battles, and 
enjoyed a high reputation among his companions in 
arms, all of whom urged that he should not quit a 
profession in which he had won recognition for the 
uncertainties of a business career. The story of this 
incident is best told by the official correspondence: 

Austin, Texas, January 12, 1867 
Adjt. General U.S. Army 

Washington, D.C. 
General: I have the honor to apply for a leave of 
absence for twelve months with permission to engage in 
business with a view of resigning. 

Very respectfully, General, 

Your ob't servant 

A. R. Chaffee 
ist Lieut. 6th Cavalry, Brevet Captain, U.S.A. 

Hd. Qrs. Austin, Texas, Jan. 12, 1867 
Respectfully forwarded with the remark that Captain 
Chaffee is an officer in every way worthy of the indulgence 
of the government, and I hope that his request may be 
granted, though his loss will be very seriously felt in his 
regiment. S. D. Sturgis 

Lt. Col. 6th Cav., Brevet Brig. GenH. 



58 The Life oj Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Hd. Qrs. District of Texas 
Galveston, Texas, Jan'y 18, 1867 
Respectfully returned to Captain Chaffee thro Regi- 
mental Hd. Qrs. 6th U.S. Cavalry, for his reasons for so 
unusual a request as the within. As far as the private 
reasons existing for this indulgence can be given, they should 
be, in order that the indorsement from these Headquarters 
may be given intelligently and for the best interests of the 
service. 

This paper to be returned. 
By command. Brevet Maj. Gen. Griffin. 

A. M. Taylor 
2d Lt. lyth U.S. Infantry, A.A.A.G. 

Austin, Texas, January 23, 1867 
Respectfully returned. 

My reasons for applying for the within indulgence are, 
that I desire to leave the service and enter into other busi- 
ness, and having been in service since July, 1861, I asked 
the within indulgence that I might, should I fail to succeed 
in private business, return again to military life. I enclose 
herewith my resignation which I request may be forwarded 
instead of the within, as / do not wish to ask an unusual 
indulgence from the government. 

A. R. Chaffee 
ist Lieut. 6th Cavalry, Brevet Captain U.S. A . 

Headquarters, Austin, Texas, Jan'y 23, 1867 
To Assistant Adft Gen' I 

District of Texas, Galveston 
Sir: I have the honor to enclose the resignation of 
ist Lieutenant and Brevet Captain A. R. Chaffee, 6th Cav. 
The original request is also returned, not because Captain 



Frontier Service in Texas 59 

Chaffee wishes it forwarded (which he does not) but 
because the endorsement from your oflSce requires it to be 
returned. The indulgence asked by Captain Chaffee in his 
first resignation was suggested by myself — he desired to 
make it unconditional — but as he is a very valuable officer 
and one who has served the government faithfully, I did 
not like his services to be lost and therefore made the sug- 
gestion to him with the remote hope that, in the end, he 
might change his mind; and that for the further reason 
that it has been the constant practice of the government (at 
least before the war) to grant officers, under similar cir- 
cumstances, as much as two years' leave, in order that they 
might not go empty handed while trying their fortune in 
business. This was the result of a kind of paternal feeling 
which the government felt and exercised toward its officers, 
well knowing that they were not likely to have accumulated 
much capital to embark in business, nor was their profes- 
sion one likely to induce habits of business. As Captain 
Chaffee has already made arrangements to enter into 
business as soon as his resignation may be accepted, I 
trust the General Commanding will forward it with his 
approval. 

I am sir. 

Very respectfully. 

Your ob't servant, 

S. D. Sturgis 
Lt. Col. 6th Cavalry Cont'd'' g. 

Austin, Texas, January 23, 1867 
Adft Gen'l U.S. Army 

Washington, D.C. 
General: I have the honor to tender herewith my 
resignation as ist Lieutenant 6th Cavalry and Brevet 



6o The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Captain U.S. Army, with the request that it may be 
accepted to take effect from the 13th of March next. 
Very respectfully, General, 

Your ob't servant, 

A. R. Chaffee 
ist Lieutenant 6th Cavalry Brevet Captain U.S. A . 

Forwarded 

S. D. Sturgis 

Brevet Brig.-Gen. Comdg. 

Hd. Qrs. District of Texas 
Galveston, Texas, Jan. 29, 1867 
Respectfully forwarded through Department Head- 
quarters recommended for acceptance, to date March 13, 
1867. Chas. Griffin 

Brevet Maj. Gen. U.S. A . Com'd'g. 

Feb. 14th, 1867 
Approved by command of General Grant. 

Geo. K. Leet 

Ass^tAdj't General 

Feb. 14th, 1867 
pprove . E. M. Stanton 

Secretary of War 

TELEGRAM RECEIVED AT WAR DEPARTMENT 

Washington, D.C, March 12, 1867 
From Austin, Texas, March 11, 1867. 
Adjutant Gen^l U.S.A. 

The acceptance of the resignation of Brevet Captain 
A. R. Chaffee, First Lieutenant and R.Q.M. Sixth Cavalry, 
is received. I beg to recommend that it be revoked and 



Frontier Service in Texas 6i 

Captain Chaflfee be retained in service. He is too valuable 
an officer to lose and his place cannot well be filled. I ask 
this with his consent further by mail. If necessary please 
answer by telegraph. 

James Oakes 
Colonel 6th Cavalry and Brvt. Brig. General 

Respectfully submitted to the General-in-Chief. The 
resignation of Brevet Captain A. R. Chaffee 6th U.S. 
Cavalry was accepted to date March 13, 1867. Its 
acceptance was announced in S.O. 100, par. 7, Feb. 26, 1867. 

A.G.O. J. C. Kelton 

March 13, 1867 AssH Adjt. General 

Approved. 

.Headquarters Army U. S. Grant, General 

March 16, 1867 

Respectfully submitted to the Secretary of War. The 
vacancy has not been filled. 

A.G.O. March 19, '67 J. C. Kelton, A.A.G. 

Restoration approved. 

By order of the Secretary of War. 

J. C. Kelton, A.A.G. 
A.G.O. March 20, '67 

It will be observed that the resignation became 
effective, in accordance with Lieutenant Chaffee's 
request, on March 13, and under the construction 
of all the laws bearing on the case he ceased to be an 
officer on that date. There was no authority of law 
for his restoration, but when General Grant and the 
Secretary of War intervened, his continuance in the 
service became effective. Upon his reaching the next 



62 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

grade his confirmation by the Senate terminated all 
previous irregularity. 

General Oakes's return to the regiment, and his 
prompt intervention to save to the service a young 
officer who had displayed courage and soldierly qual- 
ities upon many battlefields, met with the warmest 
response from all his officers. Those were the days 
when regimental promotion prevailed and juniors 
looked longingly for promotion, but the making of a 
file by his juniors did not weigh in their minds with the 
retention in service of a young officer who gave such 
promise of future usefulness to the nation. Having put 
aside all thoughts of leaving his regiment. Lieutenant 
Chaffee soon after received his promotion to a cap- 
taincy, in the Sixth Cavalry, on October 12, 1867, and 
began immediately to add creditable deeds to its 
already long roll of battles and skirmishes. 

Some years later, when asked by one of his kinsmen 
for advice as to establishing himself in business in 
Arizona, Captain Chaffee wrote: 

It would be an unsafe thing to take my views on such 
a subject for it is a question I never think of or inquire 
into, nor would I be able to form an intelligent opinion 
if I should inquire. Mercantile life is always a struggle; 
no end to continuous planning and figuring as to how 
this venture or that experiment will turn out. I dare 
say it is fascinating work, and that the successful man 
derives a vast deal of comfort in witnessing a satis- 
factory ending to ventures he has rolled, twisted, and 
turned over in his mind a long time ere he decided 
to act. 



Frontier Service in Texas 63 

Captain Chaffee secured relief from his quarter- 
master duties soon after he received his new com- 
mission, and in February, 1868, he assumed command 
of his troop at Fort Griffin, Texas. At this period the 
conditions in Texas were deplorable. Organized bands 
of outlaws under Lee and other desperadoes vied 
with Indians in their deviltry. Captain Chaffee had 
been at his new post of duty only a few days when a 
band of Quahada Comanches began to raid the 
sparsely settled country. When the Comanche tribe 
was induced to move to the reservation near Fort 
Sill, Indian Territory, the Quahada band of outlaws, 
made up of Comanches, mulattoes, and Mexicans, 
refused to go upon a reservation and located on the 
Staked Plains, where they lived on game and by 
stealing from the settlements. The part of the Staked 
Plains in which they located their village was very 
difficult for troops to operate in by reason of the 
scarcity of water. 

A sawmill had been established about thirty miles 
from Fort Griffin to get out lumber for the quarters 
at the post. The wagon trains had made many trips 
back and forth without molestation, but the Co- 
manches, observing one train with a small escort, 
boldly attacked and captured the mules, which were 
rapidly driven away by a few of the Indians, the others 
remaining for further depredations. Within an hour 
after receipt of information of the attack Captain 
Chaffee was in the saddle with his troop and a detach- 
ment of Tonkaway Indian scouts. He left Fort 
Griffin at 8:30 a.m. on March 5, 1868, and, proceeding 



64 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

by way of Leobetter's Ranch, reached Dead Man's 
Creek during the night. Crossing the Clear Fork of 
the Brazos about twelve miles below Phantom Hill, he 
found the Indian trail next morning and followed it all 
day. The trail of the party with the mules separated 
from that of the war party, but was ignored and the 
latter vigorously followed. 

Early the next morning the chief of the Tonkaway 
scouts came back with the word that the Comanches 
were in camp a short distance in advance. Captain 
Chaffee sent the scouts to make a detour around the 
Indian bivouac and led his men to the charge with 
pistols, killing seven of the war party, the others 
escaping in the chaparral. On the receipt of Captain 
Chaffee's report of the affair the post commander 
issued the following order : 

Headquarters 
Fort Griffin, Texas, March lo, 1868 
General Orders "l 
No. 19 J 

The Commanding Officer takes pleasure in openly 
announcing to the troops of this command the complete 
success of the expedition which left this post on the 6th 
instant, under command of Captain A. R. Chaffee, 6th 
U.S. Cavalry. This short and decisive campaign has 
resulted in the killing of five Indians and one Mexican and 
one mulatto (both of whom were leaders), the capture of 
five horses, together with a large number of shields, bows, 
arrows, etc., and the total breaking up of an Indian camp, 
which had been for a long time a scourge to the people of 
the frontier. The casualties on our side were three men 
wounded, viz.: Privates John F. Butler and Charles 



Frontier Service in Texas 65 

Hoffman of I Troop, and Private James Regan of F Troop. 
With the exception of the wounds of these men, the result 
is extremely gratifying, as was also the soldierly manner 
in which the troops bore their deprivations throughout the 
pursuit, suffering from the want of water, and want of 
shelter from the cold storm that raged throughout the 
entire march, without a murmur of discontent. In all 
campaigns where important results are achieved, and espe- 
cially in operations against Indians, where the nature of 
the country is not well known, troops must expect to 
undergo hardships and deprivations, which cannot be 
foreseen or obviated; yet it is only the true soldiers who 
accept these inconveniences as necessary and unavoidable, 
and who, like men, maintain their spirits in spite of these. 
{Signed) S. D. Sturgis 
Lieutenant Colonel, 6th Cavalry, Commanding 

As a result of his efficient service in this engage- 
ment, Captain Chaffee was brevetted major on March 7, 
1868. 

After the close of the Civil War, Texas was over- 
run with outlaws and desperadoes who were even worse 
than the hostile Comanches. Officers and men were 
continually called upon to guard courts of justice, 
assist revenue officers, supervise elections, pursue 
outlaws and murderers, aid in the execution of convicted 
criminals, and, in general, to establish the due processes 
of law where anarchy reigned. Many soldiers were 
assassinated for their devotion to law and order, and 
nothing but incessant vigilance and unflinching courage 
prevented the lawless element from controlling the 
border counties of the state. Captain Chaffee, with 



66 The Life of Lieutenant General CJiafee 

his troop, was moved from place to place with great 
frequency between the time he left Austin and the date 
the regiment was relieved from duty in Texas and 
ordered to Kansas. His men hunted down outlaws 
with a persistency that gained for them among the 
lawless element the name of "Chaffee's Guerrillas." 
During this period Captain Chaffee commanded the 
post at Sulphur Springs from September, 1868, to 
March, 1869; Canton to July, 1869; Tyler to January, 
1870; Corsicana to May, 1870; Fort Griffin to Septem- 
ber, 1870, v/hen he took station at Fort Richardson. 
He had been at his new post only a few weeks when 
he again took the field in pursuit of Indians. He 
left the post on November 1 2, 1870, and upon going into 
camp, two days later, observed some cattle in the 
distance running as though being chased. While the 
troop stood to horse a Tonkaway scout was sent to 
ascertain the cause of the commotion among the cattle. 
The scout had scarcely disappeared behind a slight 
elevation when a shot was fired and he rushed back 
and announced that he had seen five Comanche 
Indians on the other side of the ridge. Captain Chaffee 
started immediately and in a few minutes struck the 
trail. The five Indians were soon joined by seven 
others. The pursuit, mainly at a gallop, continued 
for about fifteen miles. Just as the Indians were 
overtaken darkness set in and they scattered, rendering 
further pursuit futile. The troop returned to camp 
and the next morning went to the scene of the chase 
and found seven ponies and two saddles which had 
been abandoned by the Comanches in their flight. 



Frontier Service in Texas 67 

Ordered direct from the scenes of the great Civil 
War to the distant frontier to combat Indians un- 
excelled in ability, cunning, and cruelty by any other 
tribes save perhaps the Apaches, officers and men 
found themselves in a community imbued with the 
hatred and bitterness left by the Civil War in the hearts 
of the people who had not been called upon to suffer 
from the presence of armies as had been the case in 
other southern states. Many ex-Confederate soldiers, 
on that distant frontier, had succumbed to the inevi 
table with bad grace, and the more lawless of them 
encouraged a hostile feeling toward the very men who 
were daily exposing their lives in protecting the settle- 
ments from Indians and outlaws. When, after ill 
treatment and murder of comrades, the men came to 
realize the contempt in which they were held, there 
was little leniency shown the lawless bands which had 
assembled in many parts of Texas whenever they came 
in contact with the troops. 



CHAPTER X 

FRONTIER SERVICE IN KANSAS AND INDIAN 
TERRITORY 

There was little regret in the regiment when it was 
notified of a contemplated change of station to Kansas. 
At no time during its service in Texas had the regiment 
been provided with barracks and quarters, except 
the rude shelter constructed by the men. The scat- 
tered troops were assembled at Fort Richardson and 
began the march northward on March 20, 187 1. Upon 
reaching Fort Sill the troops were dispersed to various 
posts in Indian Territory and Kansas. Captain 
Chaffee continued the march to Fort Riley, Kansas, 
where he took station until the following winter. 

On January 28, 1872, Captain Chaffee was detached 
with his troop to duty at Oxford, Mississippi, a uni- 
versity town. The South was still undergoing recon- 
struction, and the presence of troops was not acceptable 
to the people. The inhabitants of Oxford soon realized 
that the young veteran was a high type of soldier, 
who, having fought the armies of the Confederacy for 
four years, was disposed to preserve order in strict 
accordance with his instructions but with an entire 
absence of sectional feeling. When Captain Chaffee 
was relieved from command of the post at Oxford 
in December, 1872, the citizens presented him with a 
silver cup in appreciation of the exemplary conduct of 

68 



Service in Kansas and Indian Territory 69 

his command while there. The presentation address 
was made by Hon. L. Q. C. Lamar, then a professor in 
the university at Oxford, and who later represented 
his state in the Senate of the United States until 
appointed as one of the justices of the Supreme Court. 

Upon Captain Chaffee's return to the regiment he 
was ordered to take station with his troop at Fort 
Harker, Kansas, but conditions in Indian Territory 
were growing unsatisfactory, and early in April he was 
moved to Fort Supply, Indian Territory. Settlers were 
venturing into Kansas far beyond the safety line, and 
unprincipled skin-hunters were decimating the buffalo 
herds and arousing the resentment of the Indians. 
The preservation of peace was becoming more and 
more difficult, but the regiment labored faithfully with 
the delicate situation. To sit idly by and witness the 
disappearance of their meat supply at the hands of the 
white men was beyond the endurance of the Indians. 
War parties became more bold, and once more the 
frontier settlements were called upon to suffer the 
consequences of the inevitable conflict between advan- 
cing civilization and the doomed Indians — a conflict 
the tides of which have rolled back and forth across 
plain and mountain for nearly three centuries, with 
here and there a success for the red men, but with the 
ultimate result always the same from the days of the 
brave Wampanoags of New England and Powhatans 
of Virginia down to the Sioux at Wounded Knee. 

It had always been customary among the great 
Indian tribes to pay extended visits to one another. 
On March 12, 1874, a party of Southern Cheyennes, 



70 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

who had been on a six months' visit to the Northern 
Cheyennes and Arapahoes, reported at Fort Dodge, 
Kansas, on the way back to their reservation. Before 
they reached Fort Supply some white men stole thirty 
or forty of their ponies. It was certain that the 
Indians would retaliate, and troops were immediately 
ordered out as a precautionary measure. A few days 
later the Cheyennes began their depredations near Sun 
City, not far from Fort Dodge, and ran off twenty 
horses and mules and a herd of cattle. Then began a 
series of attacks on mail parties, isolated ranches, and 
small detachments escorting trains from post to post. 
From day to day reports came from widely separated 
localities of theft, rapine, and murder. Trains were 
attacked, ranches looted, and women and children 
carried away into captivity. It had now become 
evident that desultory scouting and chasing war 
parties were equally unprofitable. The disaffection 
among the Indians became widespread, and expeditions 
were organized for the beginning of the campaigns 
which terminated only when the power of the Indians 
for sustained hostilities was permanently broken. 

During August, 1874, eight troops of the Sixth 
Cavalry, including Captain Chaffee's, took the field 
and joined the force commanded by General N. A. 
Miles in the operations later known as the Indian 
Territory Expedition. On the evening of August 26 
a fresh trail was discovered near the Sweetwater, 
which rapidly grew larger through accession of war 
parties joining from the agencies. Abandoning the 
wagon train, the command pushed rapidly ahead, and 



Service in Kansas and Indian Territory 71 

on the morning of August 30, 1874, while crossing 
the prairie about twelve miles from Red River, the 
advance guard was charged by about two hundred 
Indians, who came so close that one man was wounded 
by a lance thrust. When repulsed, the Indians 
retreated to a line of hills and joined the main body, 
numbering about six hundred warriors, who then 
took up a position along a broken line of bluffs inter- 
spersed with deep ravines. 

The troops were deployed in line, with a small 
reserve, and moved forward to the attack, advancing 
from crest to crest and driving the Indians from every 
position they took up. Captain Chaffee, in the 
advance, led his troop in a gallant charge, using 
pistols. The Indians at first showed some tenacity, 
but the determined nature of the attack forced them 
to retire rapidly out of range. They attempted a 
final stand on a high bluff, on the right bank of Red 
River, but when the bugles again sounded the advance 
and the troops moved up the ascent the Indians fled. 
The fight had lasted over five hours, the Indians con- 
testing various positions for about twelve miles. 

As they finally abandoned the fight, the smoke of 
their burning villages could be seen. Immediate 
pursuit began across Red River and through the burn- 
ing villages. For more than a hundred miles their 
trail was strewn with broken-down ponies and aban- 
doned property. The dead Indians, lodges, arrows, and 
moccasins found along the trail indicated that the 
Cheyennes, Comanches, and Kiowas had united in 
this war. The Indians killed buffaloes, made water 



72 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

sacks of the skins, and, filling them, vanished into the 
almost waterless recesses of the Staked Plains. 

The command, including both men and horses, 
suffered from the midsummer heat, as well as from 
thirst. Little water was found, and that obtained 
was generally so alkaline as to be really unfit for use 
and caused much sickness. It was determined to 
continue in the field and to order forward the necessary 
supplies. Captain Chaffee selected Sergeant Z. T. 
Woodall, of his troop, to take charge of one of the 
two parties sent by different routes from the battle- 
field to Fort Supply with the orders for supplies. 
Sergeant Woodall's detachment encountered a large war 
party of Kiowas and Comanches and had an experi- 
ence rare even in the annals of frontier warfare, filled 
always with danger. The official report of the expedi- 
tion commander tells the story of this remarkable 
episode : 

Adjutant General, U.S. Army 

General: I deem it but a duty to brave men and faith- 
ful soldiers, to bring to the notice of the highest military 
authority an instance of indomitable courage, skill, and 
true heroism on the part of a detachment from this com- 
mand, with the request that the actors be rewarded, and 
their faithfulness and bravery be recognized by pensions, 
medals of honor, or in such way as may be deemed most 
fitting. 

On the night of the loth instant a party consisting of 
Sergeant Z. T. Woodall, Troop I; Privates Peter Roth, 
Troop A; John Harrington, Troop H, and George W. 
Smith, Troop M, 6th Cavalry; Scouts Amos Chapman 



Service in Kansas and Indian Territory 73 

and William Dixon, were sent as bearers of despatches 
from the camp of this command on McLellan Creek, 
Texas, to Camp Supply, Indian Territory. At six a.m., 
on the 12th, when approaching Washita River, they 
were met and surrounded by a band of 125 Kiowas and 
Comanches, who had recently left their agency, and at 
the first attack all were struck, Private Smith mortally, 
and all the others severely wounded. 

Although enclosed on all sides, and by overwhelming 
numbers, one of them succeeded, while they were under a 
severe fire at short range, and while the others with their 
rifles were keeping the Indians at bay, in digging with his 
knife and hands a slight cover. After this had been secured 
they placed themselves within it; the wounded walking 
with brave and painful efforts, and Private Smith, though 
he had received a mortal wound, sitting upright in the 
trench to conceal the crippled condition of their party from 
the Indians. 

From early morning till dark, outnumbered twenty-five 
to one, under an almost constant fire, and at such short 
range that they sometimes used their pistols, retaining the 
last charge to prevent capture and torture, this little party 
of five defended their lives and the person of their dying 
comrade, without food and their only drink the rain water 
that collected in a pool mingled with their own blood. 
There is no doubt but that they killed more than double 
their number, besides those that were wounded. The 
Indians abandoned the attack at dark on the 12th. 

The exposure and distance from the command, which 
were necessary incidents of their duty, were such that for 
thirty-six hours from the first attack their condition could 
not be known, and not until midnight of the 13th could 
they receive medical attendance or food; exposed during 



74 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

this time to an incessant cold storm. Sergeant Woodall, 
Private Harrington, and Scout Chapman were seriously 
wounded; Private Roth and Scout Dixon were struck but 
not disabled. 

The simple recital of their deeds and the mention of the 
odds against which they fought; how the wounded defended 
the dying, and the dying aided the wounded by exposure to 
fresh wounds after the power of action was gone; these 
alone present a scene of cool courage, heroism, and self- 
sacrifice, which duty as well as inclination prompts us to 
recognize, but which we cannot fitly honor, 

N. A, Miles 
Brevet Major General 

The Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded to 
Sergeant Woodall, who survived to render many years 
of valuable service as first sergeant of Captain Chaffee's 
troop, and later as ordnance sergeant, which office he 
held at the time of his death, in 1899, at Havana, Cuba, 
during the period of American occupation. The 
author well recalls the impression made upon him and 
all the younger officers and men whenever Sergeant 
Woodall appeared in full uniform wearing the Medal 
of Honor. The esteem in which he was held may well 
be likened to that enjoined by General George Wash- 
ington when the Purple Heart was bestowed upon its 
first recipient: 

Now therefore know ye that the aforesaid Sergeant 
Elijah Churchill hath fully and truly deserved, and hath 
been properly invested with the Honorary Badge of Mili- 
tary Merit and is authorized to pass and repass all guards 
and military posts as fully and amply as any commissioned 



I 



Service in Kansas and Indian Territory 75 

officer whatever; and is hereby further recommended to 
that favorable notice which a brave and faithful soldier 
deserves from his countrymen. 

Given under my hand and seal at the Headquarters of 
the American Army, this first day of May, 1783. 

By His Excellency, 
Commander-in-Chief, 
JoNO. Trumbull, Jr. 

Secretary 

A supply train was sent back from the field and 
met a train coming out from Camp Supply, A 
transfer of the stores was made, and the trains had 
started on their return journeys when the loaded train 
was attacked on the divide north of the Washita 
River by a large force of Kiowa and Comanche 
Indians. The train was parked, rifle pits dug, and 
the attacks of the Indians successfully resisted for 
five days without water. A portion of the Sixth 
Cavalry made a forced march from Fort Supply and 
relieved the train, which had scarcely resumed its 
journey when Captain Chaffee was met on his way back 
to discover the cause of delay. He had just found and 
relieved Sergeant Woodall's party from their distress- 
ing predicament. The campaign against the Indians 
continued far into the winter. 

The last movement against them on the Staked 
Plains was executed in intensely cold weather, the 
thermometer registering twenty-five degrees below 
zero, when Captain Chaffee, on December i, 1874, 
made a night march to surprise a party of Indians 
reported to be on a branch of the North Fork of Red 



76 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

River. They had scented danger and decamped, but 
were pursued by a detachment and overtaken at day- 
light on December 2, when they were attacked and 
routed with the loss of their ponies, about seventy in 
number, most of which were saddled and packed. 

During this campaign the Indians were fought by 
the regiment in nine engagements, and were harassed 
by such insistent pursuit that they were finally driven 
into the agencies, broken in spirit and greatly impov- 
erished. It was this campaign that brought about the 
recovery of the four Germain girls, captured by the 
Indians near the Smoky Hill River when the rest of 
the family, father, mother, brother, and a sister, were 
killed by Cheyennes. 

Captain ChafTee had previously been honored, as 
before mentioned, with the brevet of major for his 
brave fight with the Quahada Comanches. During 
this campaign, on August 30, 1874, the brevet of 
lieutenant colonel was awarded to him for gallant 
service in leading a cavalry charge over rough and 
precipitous bluffs held by Indians on the Red River 
of Texas. 

It was late in the winter before affairs assumed a 
condition which would justify sending the troops into 
quarters. Captain Chaffee had been in garrison at 
Fort Supply only a month when the order for the regi- 
ment to change stations with the Fifth Cavalry in 
Arizona, which had been suspended the previous 
year because of hostilities, was reissued. 



CHAPTER XI 
FRONTIER SERVICE IN ARIZONA 

In 1875, when the Sixth Cavalry was ordered to 
Arizona, there were no railroads in New Mexico or 
Arizona. It was not deemed wise to leave Arizona 
without any cavalry for field operations during the 
long period necessary for the exchange of regiments. 
To provide for this, one-half of each regiment was 
started, with instructions to meet and exchange 
transportation and horses. The first half of the 
Sixth Cavalry was assembled at Fort Dodge, Kansas, 
and, proceeding over the old Santa Fe Trail, met the 
first half of the Fifth Cavalry at Santa Fe, New 
Mexico. The second half of the Sixth Cavalry, which 
included Captain Chaffee's troop, left Fort Dodge on 
August 2, 1875, and exchanged transportation and 
horses with the second half of the Fifth Cavalry at Fort 
Union, New Mexico. Captain Chaffee's troop reached 
its station, Fort Verde, Arizona, on October 9, 1875. 

The author has a vivid recollection of this exchange 
of regiments. Although a second lieutenant of the 
Sixth Cavalry at the time, he was on duty at old Fort 
Verde in Arizona, commanding a troop of the Fifth 
Cavalry, which had lost its only officer present during 
the previous autumn, this officer having been invalided 
on account of a wound received in action with a band 
of Apaches at Sunset Pass, Arizona. On the eve 

77 



78 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

of the movement to Santa Fe of three troops of the 
Fifth Cavalry assembled at Fort Verde the second 
lieutenant of the troop returned to duty. The author 
was then detailed as adjutant and quartermaster, and 
had an unusual experience, taking a contract train of 
freight wagons across the mountains over the worst 
road then in the United States. The wagons were of 
the type known as "prairie schooners," and each had 
a trail wagon of smaller dimensions attached. Each 
wagon and trail were drawn by twelve or fourteen 
mules. More than forty years have passed, but there 
still remains in the author's mind a clear picture of 
Sam Miller, the trainmaster, piloting those overloaded 
teams up out of the Verde River valley; across the 
Mai Pais mesa; up to Stoneman's Lake; through 
Sunset Pass and down grade to the Little Colorado, 
with its shifting, bottomless quicksands; up Litho- 
dendron Creek and beyond where the leading wagon 
cut through the sand and stalled against a veritable 
monarch of the forest, petrified and squarely athwart 
our course; to Navajo Springs; to Fort Wingate; to 
Albuquerque, where we joined forces with regimental 
headquarters and three more troops; up the Rio 
Grande and thence to the end of our first lap, Santa Fe, 
New Mexico. Here were foregathered old comrades 
of three cavalry regiments changing frontier stations 
by marching, and here keen disappointment was experi- 
enced by men of the Sixth Cavalry, who were compelled 
to exchange their beautiful Missouri and Kentucky 
horses for the California mustangs of the Fifth Cavalry, 
which were accustomed to field service without forage 



Frontier Service in Arizona 79 

other than grazing, and were therefore better fitted 
for the work in Arizona, 

It was at Fort Verde, a station long since abandoned, 
that the author's friendship for Captain Chaffee began 
—a friendship which lasted through forty years of 
service and to the end. 

The duties of the cavalry in Arizona at that time 
were performed almost wholly by small detachments 
operating in conjunction with Indian scouts. In 
the spring of 1876 conditions had become so bad along 
the Mexican border of Arizona and New Mexico, owing 
to the proximity of the Warm Spring and Chiricahui 
Apache reservations, that a removal of the Indians to 
the San Carlos Agency was determined upon. The 
troops of the regiment were widely scattered, but were 
promptly put on the march for the rendezvous in 
southeastern Arizona. Captain Chaffee marched from 
Fort Verde by way of Tonto Basin to Fort Grant, 
arriving on the last day of the month. The route 
followed took him past the site of the present Roosevelt 
Dam. At that time there were no settlers for more 
than two hundred miles of his route because of the 
continuous raids of the Apaches. 

Upon the arrival of all the troops several expeditions 
were organized. Captain Chaffee's troop accompanied 
the squadron sent into the San Simon Valley on the 
eastern side of the Chiricahui Reservation, and when it 
reached Horse Shoe Cafion, on the east side of the 
Chiricahui Mountains, the trail of a large part of the 
tribe was found leading toward Mexico. The trail was 
followed, but the Indians had already crossed the line. 



8o The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

The Chiricahuis consisted of four bands — that of 
Natchez, son of the famous Cochise, the other three 
under Ju, Geronimo, and Nolge. Of the four, that 
of Natchez was the only one which moved to the San 
Carlos Reservation; the others escaped into Sonora, 
and from the inaccessible fastnesses of the Sierra Madre 
Mountains began a series of raids which lasted ten years 
and involved the loss of hundreds of lives. Upon the 
completion of the movement of Natchez' band the 
several expeditions were abandoned. Captain Chaffee 
was ordered to take station at Fort McDowell, Arizona, 
an assignment which gave him command of a post. 

It was the custom in the Sixth Cavalry to offer the 
recruiting detail, available every other year, to the 
officer longest on duty with the regiment. Captain 
Chaffee had been with it since its organization and had 
experienced many years of hard service. The detail 
was offered to him, and he accepted it in the autumn 
and was absent during the ensuing two years. His 
troop was still in garrison at Fort McDowell when 
he returned from recruiting service, and he assumed 
command of the post on November 12, 1878. 

For some time there had been considerable dis- 
satisfaction among the Indians on the reservations in 
Arizona and New Mexico, and there was much honest 
criticism at the scant meed of justice accorded them in 
a community whose sole thoughts at that time appeared 
to lie in the direction of location of mines, on or off 
reservations. The malodorous Indian Ring was in full 
power, and the dawn of the era of contentment and 
peace seemed far off. 



Frontier Service in Arizona 8i 

The history of the Apaches is shrouded in much 
uncertainty. The whole face of the country is covered 
with the remains of villages occupied by a. people of an 
entirely different nature and, in all probability, akin 
to the scattered Pueblo Indians of today. The cUff- 
dwellers left many strange abodes in almost every 
watered canyon ; the foundations and walls of many of 
their valley locations indicate a large population in 
olden times. Old settlers well acquainted with the 
habits of the various tribes unite in the belief that the 
disappearance of the ancient dwellers in Arizona is 
traceable to the incessant warfare of the Apaches. It 
was against these Apaches, utterly wild Indians, that 
the Sixth Cavalry was pitted for more than ten years. 

Arizona is an immense expanse of country, much 
of it covered with rough and broken mountain chains — 
the southern spurs of the Rockies. The western part 
contains immense deserts, and neither Indians nor 
settlers undertook to extract a living from such unin- 
viting sand wastes. The character of the country 
generally was entirely in favor of the Apaches in their 
contest for supremacy with the whites. The Indians 
had learned to utilize much in nature that was unknown 
to the whites, being so accustomed to exposure that 
sudden changes from snow-covered mountains to 
parched sand deserts affected them but little, if at all. 
Traveling without baggage, and able to cover, when 
hard pressed, from fifty to seventy miles on foot within 
twenty-four hours, they constituted most formidable 
enemies. Their food consisted of game, baked mescal 
root, which is very palatable and not unlike sweet 



82 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

potato, grass seed, and other wild productions of that 
strange land. 

With a supply of food which would not furnish a 
meal for a soldier an Apache would go on a long raid, 
trusting to luck and his knowledge of nature's foods to 
escape suffering. His ability to crawl stealthily upon 
his enemy, to conceal himself with a few wisps of grass, 
to deliver his fire and disappear as from the face of the 
earth, made him an enemy to be guarded against 
incessantly. 

It became the fixed opinion of those experienced in 
Apache warfare that if the government had not taken 
advantage of their tribal animosities Arizona would 
have remained undeveloped for a long time. The 
number of attacks made upon wagon trains, stage 
coaches, and travelers is beyond belief. The records of 
the War Department show that between January, 1866, 
and May, 1875, when the Sixth Cavalry was ordered to 
duty in Arizona, two hundred and seventeen engage- 
ments had occurred between troops and Indians in 
Arizona. Comparative peace had reigned while the 
Sixth Cavalry was taking its first stations, but soon 
marauding bands began their deviltry, which continued, 
at intervals, during all the time the regiment remained 
in that country and the adjoining territory, New 
Mexico — a period of fifteen years. 

The result of an inspection of the agencies by 
General Hatch may be profitably examined: 

These Indians have not advanced in any manner since 
placed upon reservations. They plant less than when wild 
and seem to have devoted their energies in preparing for 



Frontier Service in Arizona 83 

the warpath by theft of horses and purchase of arms and 
ammunition. The reservation furnishes a place of con- 
cealment for stolen property, and draws near it a dis- 
reputable class of traders. There is no discipline among 
these Indians; they come and go when it pleases them, 
raid with impunity on the neighboring settlers in small 
stealing parties, and make extensive raids into Mexico. 
Eventually the settlers will be strong enough to resist suc- 
cessfully. In the meantime a sense of insecurity will 
pervade the community, and I believe it is economy for 
the government to settle the matter at once. 

Such were the conditions when Captain Chaffee 
was selected to take charge of the San Carlos Indian 
Agency, larger than all the other southwestern agencies 
combined and embracing among its wards all the 
daredevils who with their forebears had made the 
Chihuahua Sonora border of Mexico a barren waste. 



CHAPTER XII 
INDIAN AGENT AT SAN CARLOS 

During a long period of years the affairs of the 
Indians assembled on reservations in the Far West 
were in a most unsatisfactory condition, especially 
in those localities occupied by warlike tribes. Dis- 
honesty and incompetency were the common charges 
against the agents. When matters became unbearable, 
the Indians frequently revolted and murdered agency 
employees before fleeing from the reservations. The 
San Carlos Agency, situated on the Gila River, was no 
exception to the rule. The "Indian Ring," as the 
group of contractors and spoilsmen had long been 
known, seemed to have no conscience about carrying 
its abuses to extremes, for the army could always 
be called in to punish the Indians should they leave 
their reservations. 

On July I, 1879, Captain Chaffee received a tele- 
gram to proceed at once from Fort McDowell, Arizona, 
to San Carlos and assume the duties of Indian agent. 
There was no direct road to the agency ; mounting his 
horse, therefore, he started in the afternoon over the 
mountain trails to take up the most uncongenial work 
that could possibly have been assigned to him. After 
five days of mountain trails, and under a midsummer 
sun, he reached his destination and was met by the 
refusal of the Indian agent to transfer his accounta- 
bility unless his bondsmen were relieved of responsibil- 



Indian Agent at San Carlos 85 

ity. As a matter of fact, no orders had been received 
by the agent to turn the agency over to Captain 
Chaffee, and the latter dechned to settle the matter 
arbitrarily, but communicated the status of affairs 
to the proper authorities. Captain Chaffee expressed 
the view that it was for the Commissioner of Indian 
Affairs to secure compliance with his orders. 
One month later Captain Chaffee wrote : 

When I took hold, Hart [the agent who had been 
removed] informed me that, do as I might, I would find 
that the old rut would prove best in the end. The old 
rut by no means satisfies me, and the agency employees 
find something else to do besides sitting in the shade. 
Order begins to reign in storerooms, oceans of property 
now assembled according to class; glassware, hardware, 
annuity, and other stores in order; flour, coffee, beans, 
salt, sugar, and soap, each in its appropriate place. To 
do all this I've had to direct in person, as well as to post 
myself in the office, and receive many stores. The traders 
tell their stories, the contractors theirs, and the agency folks 
of course are not behind. 

There had been much of scandal involved in the 
brief existence of the San Carlos Reservation. The 
rights of the Indians were ignored in the most flagrant 
manner. The agent was accused of allowing a silver 
mine on the reservation to be worked as long as he 
shared in the profits. The reservation was curtailed 
several times by acts of Congress, an action brought 
about by men interested in the seizure of all the 
mineral lands of value. The Indians had received 
no protection from their official guardians. Just when 



86 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Captain Chaffee had about concluded that Kfe was 
not worth hving in such a den of thieves he received 
a visit from the chairman of the Board of Indian 
Commissioners, General Fisk, a banker of New York, 
whom he described as a very pleasant gentleman, one 
of the humanitarian school, who rendered voluntary 
service to the Indians from pure and conscientious 
motives. 

During October Captain Chaffee undertook to make 
a personal census of all the Indians on the San Carlos 
and White Mountain reservations and on Eagle Creek, 
where about one hundred and twenty were permitted 
to live. According to the count made, there were 
four thousand three hundred Indians on the San 
Carlos, three hundred on the adjoining White Moun- 
tain Reservation, and those living on Eagle Creek. 

When Captain Chaffee took charge of the agency 
he had been secretly warned that someone interested 
in the cattle contracts had recently carried away a set 
of weights belonging to the scales. Captain Chaffee 
made a record of this incident: 

There are two scales; one in use and one in store. 
When I took the property I examined closely for the 
weights belonging to the set in store, but. found only the 
I, coo pound weight, three 2,000 pound weights being 
missing. I casually called Indian Agent Hart's attention 
to the subject and passed on. Lieutenant von Schrader 
was here at the time, so I took him with me to the scales at 
the corral, where we marked the weights in use with an 
iron punch. Since then I have looked for the other weights 
to appear in the scales. Day before yesterday / nailed 



Indian Agent at San Carlos 87 

them dead, the weights having been put in during the past 
week. To show the object it is only necessary to say 
that the weights have been lightened by having been 
bored out — the old borings having been deepened. As 
near as I can ascertain, each weight has been lightened 
about five ounces. I ascertained the result the parties 
would have accomplished, had they not been caught, 
by weighing on a Howe storehouse scale 2,000 pounds of 
flour, which I then took to the cattle scale. They had 
left the 1,000 pound weight; the knob on the beam, when 
shoved to the outer end, covers 1,000 pounds; thus you 
see I could weigh 2,000 pounds. I put on my 2,000 pounds 
of flour, when the beam balanced to a hair. The two scales 
agreed. I then took off the 1,000 pound weight, shoved the 
knob to zero, and laid on one of the tampered with 2,000 
pound weights, but it did not prove sufficiently heavy to 
balance the 2,000 pounds of flour. I shoved the knob 
forward till it reached the 170 pound notch, when the 
beam balanced and showed the difference that would 
accrue to the contractor every time the weight should be 
used. 

I tested each of the weights separately and found they 
varied from 158 to 170 pounds. We consume here weekly 
about eighty head of cattle that will average 850 pounds 
each. On an average we weigh five head at each draft, 
which would call into use two of the 2,000 pound weights. 
One of the provisions of the contract requires the cattle to 
average 850 pounds from May i to December i ; the balance 
of the year 800. Of course they want to make their small 
Mexican cattle come up to the average. Unless they make 
the average required by contract a deduction is made of 
one percentum for every five pounds and fraction thereof 
that their cattle are under the required average. 



88 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

When I discovered the weights that had been tampered 
with, I accused the contractor's agent with having com- 
mitted the act. He of course denied it, when I lost my 
temper and from all accounts did not comply strictly with 
the commandment which forbids swearing on all occasions. 
At all events I scared the fellow so much that he left the 
reservation within an hour without taking any breakfast. 

I look on him and as the principal rascals, though 

he is but an employee. 

The contempt in which the rights of the Indians 
were held in the Far West is well illustrated by the 

fact that Mr. 's participation in this wholesale 

robbery of the nation's wards did not prevent his 
election later to the United States Senate. The whole 
situation was obnoxious to Captain Chaffee, and a 
few days after the unearthing of the plot to cheat the 
Indians out of part of their small rations of beef he 
tendered his resignation as agent and requested that his 
successor should arrive by December 31, 1879. In 
the meantime he kept busy improving the condition of 
things around him by perfecting the dam and irriga- 
tion ditches, thus making it possible for the Indians 
to help themselves to a greater degree than had been 
possible previously. He had the agency buildings 
roofed with shingles instead of thatch and mud, thereby 
saving the stores from frequent drenchings, and secured 
the erection of a telegraph line to the nearest military 
post, putting the agency in communication with the 
outer world. 

Captain Chaffee's repeated requests to be relieved 
did not result in early action. On February i, 1880, 



Indian Agent at San Carlos 89 

he described a heavy fall of snow — about five inches — • 
which had occurred the previous week, a most unusual 
phenomenon in that locaUty. The Indians were illy 
prepared for such weather, and Captain Chaffee was 
tireless in his efforts to relieve the situation. He 
wrote of this incident : 

I believe it is serving the Lord to serve the poor. Hence 
this has been no Sunday for me or anyone here. I have 
been on my feet since early morning issuing goods to the 
Indians. I began the work yesterday. Today the work 
is slower on account of having to issue through a door. 
Yesterday we issued in the open air where we could work 
to more advantage. Somehow I felt well satisfied with the 
fatigue of the work; to see how much good a little can do 
for the suffering poor, spurred my tongue as I called off 
each article. The Indians lost no time in making use of 
the articles given them in the shape of clothing to keep out 
the cold. 

It was the end of May, 1880, before Captain 
Chaffee was relieved from the duties of Indian agent, 
a thankless task at best for army officers, who were 
consistently assailed in the most libelous manner when- 
ever they undertook to protect the Indian in his rights. 
There were some good and true people among the 
early settlers of Arizona, but there came a time when 
the pressure for law and order in Texas, Kansas, and 
Colorado drove to New Mexico and Arizona the most 
lawless aggregation of thieves and murderers ever 
assembled on our soil. The army had to contend with 
these as well as with the predatory bands of Apache 
renegades, and there was little choice between them. 



CHAPTER XIII 
FRONTIER SERVICE IN ARIZONA (Continued) 

During the summer of 1881 there appeared among 
the White Mountain Apaches a medicine-man named 
Nockay-det-Klinne, who proclaimed himself the Mes- 
siah. The oracle gradually inflamed the minds of the 
Indians and became so infatuated by his success that he 
appeared to believe the truth of his own weird dreams. 
So long as he confined himself to ordinary incantations 
there was no cause for anxiety. In common with 
more civilized charlatans, however, he had gradually 
mulcted the faithful believers of much of their limited 
wealth, and it appeared necessary for him to make a 
bold stroke to conceal the falseness of his own prophe- 
cies. He was growing rich through the largesse of his 
simple-minded followers. To retain his power he an- 
nounced that he was restoring all the dead Apaches to 
life, and that they were now risen, except that their 
feet were held down waiting for the whites to be driven 
from the Indian country. Considering the length of 
time during which the White Mountain Apaches had 
been closely associated with the whites, and their 
general intelligence, it is inexplicable that this fanatic 
should have imposed upon the tribe to the extent of 
making large numbers of them believe that if they 
would rise and murder the whites he would restore to 
life all their deceased kinsmen. 

90 



Frontier Service in Arizona 91 

It is neither expedient nor profitable to discuss an 
aimless policy which permitted license to run riot on 
reservations until the Indians grew sullen and insub- 
ordinate through brooding over racial wrongs, and 
then threw upon the small and inadequate garrisons the 
work of restoring order and enforcing obedience. 

The regimental commander was at Fort Apache, an 
isolated post in the center of the White Mountain 
Reservation, with a garrison of only two small troops 
of cavalry and one much-depleted company of infantry. 
Recognizing the very serious turn of affairs, he sum- 
moned the medicine-man and several prominent chiefs 
and heads of families and explained to them the futility 
of rising against the whites. The author was present 
at all the interviews, and in later years was much struck 
with the similarity of argument used by Nockay-det- 
Klinne in 1881, Sitting Bull and other Plains Indians in 
1890, during the Ghost Dance craze, and the active and 
successful leader of Pulajans, Enrique Darguhob, in 
Samar, one of the Philippine Islands, in 1904 and 1905. 
The advice and warnings given Nockay-det-Klinne fell 
upon deaf ears, and he returned to his camp, about 
forty miles back in the Indian country, where he 
spurned the orders of the agent to report himself at 
San Carlos. The deluded Indians followed him, and 
the excitement grew widespread. 

The time for parley and remonstrance ended when 
the agent made a formal demand that the military 
arm be set in motion and that the recalcitrant medicine- 
man be brought before him dead or alive. The story 
of the march, the arrest, the attempt at rescue, the 



92 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

hand-to-hand combat, constitutes an interesting page 
of the regimental history. While the medicine-man 
lay mortally wounded, after the rescuers had been 
driven off and we were preparing to bury our dead, 
the author examined the body and took from its 
receptacle the pass by authority of which Nockay-det- 
Klinne left the agency. The pass had expired, and 
the deluded messiah had repeatedly refused to return 
and report himself as was required of all reservation 
Indians. * 

There was a short, sharp campaign, but the failure 
of the messiah to come back to life, as he had promised 
to do if killed, cooled the ardor of the White Mountain 
Apaches, and they rapidly drifted back to their reser- 
vation camps. The troops of the regiment made rapid 
marches through all the exposed districts, gradually 
concentrating at and near the agency, where for some 
unexplained reason the wild Chiricahuis of Ju and 
Geronimo, who were at the San Carlos Agency, fled 
toward Mexico, leaving a trail of blood and pillage 
to mark their hurried flight. 

Other regiments were ordered in to assist in pro- 
tecting the southern border, while some troops of the 
Sixth Cavalry, including Captain Chaffee's, were sent 
back to their stations, encircling the White Mountain 
and San Carlos Apaches to guard against further 
outbreak in that direction. Some troops of the Sixth 
pursued and fought Geronimo's band, as did those of 
other cavalry regiments, but the Indians again made 
good their escape, this time to the Sierra Madres in 
Sonora. The year following this outbreak was one of 



Frontier Service in Arizona 93 

continuous scouting, trailing, and fighting near the 
Mexican border, comparative peace prevailing, how- 
ever, north of the Gila until the following spring. 

In April, 1882, Geronimo and a considerable num- 
ber of bucks crossed the Mexican border and made 
their way to the San Carlos Agency, where they induced 
Loco's band of Chiricahuis to leave the reservation. 
The troops of the regiment nearest to the trail followed 
and fought them before they reached the line, and 
Mexican troops, which were fortunate enough to 
observe their flight, prepared an ambuscade and almost 
annihilated that portion of the band that remained 
together. 

After a forced march from his station at Fort 
McDowell to Maricopa, Captain Chaffee's troop was 
entrained and sent hurriedly to Willcox, a station on 
the Southern Pacific Railroad, in southeastern Arizona. 
The direction of the flight of the Apaches was reported 
by other troops of the regiment to Captain Chaffee, who 
left Willcox at midnight and marched sixty miles 
without halting to cook a meal until he was on the 
Indian trail, which he followed to Skeleton Canyon 
in the Stein's Peak range of mountains, near the 
Mexican border. Other troops from nearby stations 
had taken up the pursuit and were ahead of him on the 
trail. Captain Chaffee therefore moved his command 
across to the Chiricahui Mountains and occupied a 
favorite border crossing of the Indians. 

Serious trouble was brewing at San Carlos, which 
culminated on July 6, 1882, in the killing of the chief 
of scouts, Colvig, and three Indian policemen. For 



94 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

several days it was not known whether it was an out- 
break of the usual kind resulting in raids or merely 
one of the affrays involving murder so common on the 
reservation. All doubt was removed, on July 8, 
when the Indians attacked McMillenville, an isolated 
mining village near the reservation. The renegades 
were led by Nantiatish and Sanchez, and included 
some of the scouts who had mutinied and deserted 
when the medicine-man was arrested the preceding 
summer and who had been in hiding since that time. 
They made a rapid raid north across Tonto Basin in the 
direction of the Black Mesa, stealing horses, and it was 
rumored that they intended to go to the Navajo 
country. Troops were ordered in pursuit from Forts 
Apache, McDowell, Thomas, and Whipple, widely 
separated posts with a wilderness of canyons and rough 
mountains intervening. The result was the most 
remarkable concentration of troops at a danger point 
ever known on the frontier. Moving for several days, 
over very difficult country, guided mainly by reports 
of outrages committed, the troops approached a com- 
mon center. Captain Chaffee, marching east, struck 
the trail first. Arriving at General's Springs, at the 
summit of the Black Mesa, on the morning of July 17, 
1882, he found that the Indians had camped there the 
previous night. Leaving a message on a bush at the 
Springs and sending back a courier to notify other 
troops, he pushed rapidly on the trail. The courier 
shortly encountered the column from Fort Apache, 
which had come westward and had cut the trail between 
Captain Chaffee's troop and his pack train, and was 



I 



Frontier Service in Arizona 95 

following it. Major Evans, who was in command of the 
Fort Apache squadron, at once detached the leading 
troop to move rapidly to the front as a reinforcement in 
the event the Indians should be overtaken before his 
main column should arrive. Captain Chaffee overtook 
the Indians about 3:00 p.m., and had just formed for 
attack when Major Evans arrived with reinforce- 
ments. Although the senior of all the officers then 
in pursuit of the Indians, Major Evans generously 
placed his own command at Captain Chaffee's dis- 
posal and directed him to proceed with the attack as 
planned. 

The Indians occupied a strong position on the north 
side of the canyon, where from a vertical wall they 
overlooked and commanded the trail leading across 
the canyon. They had built circular rifle pits of 
stones, and their position was impregnable from a 
frontal attack. Captain Chaffee formed his dismounted 
skirmishers along the brink of the canyon opposite the 
Indian position, sending troops to cross above and 
below the position. They were met by a fire at close 
range from behind pine trees and rocks as they fought 
their way across. The Indian position was gradually 
encircled, and the troops closed in as well as their 
limited numbers permitted. The fight lasted through 
the day and into the night. About 10 : 00 p.m. the lines 
were withdrawn to bring in the wounded and get 
back to the canyon for water. Two officers and a 
number of men were seriously wounded, one of the 
latter dying during the night. Commands from other 
posts continued to arrive during the night, and the 



96 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

next morning twelve troops of cavalry assembled at 
the scene of the combat from four separate stations. 

The hostiles escaped during the night, abandoning 
everything and leaving six wounded and sixteen dead 
upon the field. Seventy- three horses, twenty-four 
saddles, and much camp plunder were captured. 
Fourteen horses of the Indians were killed in action and 
seventeen abandoned on the trail, making their loss 
more than one hundred. A severe hailstorm lasting 
four hours completely obliterated the trail of the 
moccasined Indians, who fled on foot to the reserva- 
tions, where they scattered and were hidden by their 
kinsmen. 

While the troopers were advancing on the north 
side of the canyon it became necessary for them to leave 
cover and advance across an open space against a group 
of Indians concealed behind trees. The men were 
somewhat wary of exposing themselves, but Captain 
Chaffee displayed his wonderful control of men. As 
soon as he observed the hesitation he fairly roared in his 
deep and powerful voice, "Forward!" and every man 
instantly moved out against the enemy and drove the 
Indians to cover in a ravine. 

This encounter took place at the Big Dry Wash, a 
branch canyon of Chevelon's Fork of the Little Colo- 
rado River. The country was so rough that the 
wounded had to be carried out on hand litters for many 
miles. The pursuit and assault of the Indians in a 
strong position selected and fortified by them reflected 
much credit upon the troops engaged, for it was impos- 
sible for the main body to deploy before night overtook 



Frontier Service in Arizona 97 

them. The following order was issued concerning this 
affair : 

Headquarters Department of Arizona 
Whipple Barracks, Prescott, July 31, 1882 
General Orders'! 
No. 37 j 

The Department Commander is happy to announce 
another success of our gallant troops against the Apaches. 

On the 17th instant Captain A. R. Chaffee, Sixth 
Cavalry, came up with Nan-tia-tish and his whole 
band of desperate renegade scouts and released Cibicu 
prisoners. 

The engagement took place on Big Dry Wash, mis- 
named "Chevelon's Fork" in the despatches; it lasted 
until nightfall resulting in killing 16 warriors whose bodies 
were found, and the capture of the hostiles' camp, saddles, 
and reserved ammunition (500 metallic cartridges Cal. .45), 
over 100 horses and mules (including those killed), and 
6 squaws and children. 

Too much praise cannot be accorded to Captain Chaffee 
and his immediate command. Troop I, Sixth Cavalry, and 
Company E, Indian Scouts, Lieutenant Morgan, Third 
Cavalry, commanding, and scarcely less to Major A. W. 
Evans, Third Cavalry, and his troops who came up from a 
remote post in good time, and fought with equal bravery, 
Major Evans himself generously waiving the management 
of the fight to his junior in rank — Captain and Brevet 
Major Chaffee. 

Our casualties consisted of two officers, Lieutenants 
Morgan and Converse, Third Cavalry, wounded, one 
enlisted man and one Indian Scout killed, and five enlisted 
men and one Indian Scout wounded. 



98 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

The lessons taught by this fight are first the necessity 
of greater precautions to prevent Indians from obtaining 
arms and ammunition. Second, the value of energetic 
and persistent pursuit, however remote and hopeless 
it may seem at first. Third, the importance of trailing 
and attacking the hostiles even with inferior numbers, and 
holding on to them until other troops arrive on the ground. 

BY ORDER OF BREVET MAJOR GENERAL WILLCOX: 

H. L, Haskell 
Aide-de-Camp 



I 



CHAPTER XIV 

FRONTIER SERVICE WITH CROOK'S EXPEDI- 
TION AND IN MEXICO 

It should be remembered that when the Chiricahuis 
were removed from their home country in the Chirica- 
hui and Dragoon mountains, adjoining the border line, 
a considerable number refused to go to the San Carlos 
Agency and fled to Mexico, where they found a safe 
retreat in the heart of the Sierra Madre Mountains. 
They constantly passed back and forth between the 
San Carlos and New Mexican Indian agencies, and 
in nearly every instance left a trail of rapine and mur- 
der. During the outbreak of the Coyoteros or White 
Mountain Indians in Arizona in 1881 many of the 
Chiricahuis left San Carlos and made a most successful 
dash through a cordon of troops, fighting almost the 
entire way to the Mexican border, which they crossed 
with little loss to themselves. 

When the Chiricahui Agency near Fort Bowie, in 
Apache Pass, was finally abandoned, the development 
of many rich mines in southern Arizona was undertaken, 
and towns of considerable size were growing rapidly 
in that section. The constant turmoil arising from 
Apache depredations kept the entire population of 
Arizona and New Mexico in a state of never-ending 
anxiety. General George Crook was still remembered 
by the old pioneers for the successful manner in which 

99 



loo The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

he had settled the Apaches on reservations ten years 
before, and, owing to their appeals and to dissatisfaction 
in Washington over the existing conditions, he was 
again assigned to command the Department of Arizona. 
The meager force allotted to the department was dis- 
tributed with a view to safeguarding the community as 
far as possible. General Crook personally visited the 
Apache villages on the reservations, and such was his 
influence that he succeeded in again winning their 
confidence and promises of their services in restoring 
peaceful conditions. 

Attended only by an aid, a surgeon, and a dozen 
Indian scouts General Crook next proceeded to the 
Mexican border and attempted to open communication 
with the renegade Indians in Mexico. He was unsuc- 
cessful on the whole, but learned from two squaws, 
intercepted while attempting to return to the San 
Carlos Agency, that the Apaches in the Sierra Madres 
occupied an impregnable position and had sworn 
hostility to both Americans and Mexicans. The 
territory harassed by the Chiricahuis stretched over 
all the northern part of Sonora and Chihuahua. Ruins 
of depopulated and abandoned villages abounded 
within the radius of Apache depredations. Bottom 
lands which once supplied abundant crops of wheat 
and barley were no longer cultivated, being overgrown 
with a jungle of wild vegetation. Hostility between 
the Mexicans and Indians was intense, and constant 
warfare had sadly reduced the numbers on both sides. 

Matters drifted along in a most unsatisfactory 
manner. Captain Emmet Crawford, with a body of 



i 



Crook's Expedition loi 

one hundred and fifty Indian scouts, was assigned 
to the arduous duty of patroling about two hundred 
miles of the border. No one familiar with Apache 
warfare was at all surprised to learn during March, 
1883, that an enterprising young chief named Chatto, 
with a band of twenty-six Chiricahuis, had crossed the 
border and was raiding in Arizona and New Mexico. 
By stealing fresh horses the raiders were enabled to 
travel from seventy to a hundred miles a day. During 
this raid of about eight hundred miles Chatto's band 
killed twenty-five Americans and Mexicans and lost 
only two bucks, one being killed near the Total Wreck 
mine in Arizona and one being captured by American 
troops. The culmination of this bloody raid was the 
massacre of Judge McComas and his wife, prominent 
residents of Silver City, New Mexico, and the carrying 
into captivity of their little son Charlie. 

All that could be done to guard the settlements was 
done. Troops scoured the country in every direction, 
hoping to overtake the marauding Indians. Direct 
pursuit was hopeless as long as the raiders could obtain 
a constant supply of fresh horses, not available to 
troops. The trail made by the band coming from the 
Sierra Madres north seemed to offer the only solution. 
General Crook concentrated as many of the small 
troops of cavalry in the territory as could be safely 
withdrawn from their stations around the reservation, 
and on April 23, 1883, moved from Willcox with seven 
troops of the Third and Sixth Cavalry under command 
of Major James Biddle, and a large body of Indian 
scouts. The march was directed to San Bernardino 



I02 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Springs, where the command was to be joined by 
Captain Crawford with additional scouts and pack 
trains. These springs had once been the main source 
of water supply for large herds of cattle, but the 
Apaches had long since caused the abandonment of 
the extensive ranch building. General Crook now 
directed the base camp to be established at Silver 
Springs on the American side of the line and organized 
the expedition which he intended to conduct in person 
to the stronghold in the Sierra Madres. He had 
directed the captured raider of Chatto's band, 
"Peaches" by name, to be sent to the border. The 
prisoner finally consented to conduct the command 
to the hiding-places of the hostile bands. 

On May i, 1883, the expedition crossed the Mexican 
line and marched down the valley of the San Bernardino. 
It comprised Captain Chaffee's troop of the Sixth 
Cavalry, with Lieutenants West and Forsyth and 
forty- two men; one hundred and ninety- three Indian 
scouts, under Captain Emmet Crawford, Third Cav- 
alry, Lieutenant Mackay, Third Cavalry, Lieutenant 
Gate wood. Sixth Cavalry, and the most competent ag- 
gregation of guides and interpreters in that country, Al. 
Seiber, Mcintosh, Sam Bowman, Severiano, and Mickey 
Free. General Crook was accompanied by his personal 
aid. Captain Bourke, Lieutenant Febiger, engineer offi- 
cer, and Doctor Andrews. Marching down the San Ber- 
nardino to the junction of the Bavispe River, and then 
up the latter stream, on May 7 the expedition, led by 
"Peaches," headed straight for the Sierra Madres, 
and in the foothills struck a trail of the Chiricahuis 



Crook's Expedition 103 

made recently while they were driving into the moun- 
tains cattle stolen from Mexican ranches. The trail 
was rocky and steep, although fresh and well beaten 
by ponies and cattle. It wound up the mountain, and 
each ridge seemed to be followed by another one higher 
and more difficult. Cross-trails ran in every direction, 
and all were littered with odds and ends of things use- 
less to Indians, stolen from Mexicans and thrown away. 

General Crook, following his accustomed plan, had 
decided upon a night march to pass over the open 
country and get into the mountains in order to escape 
observation by the watchful Apache pickets. Cap- 
tain Chaffee was riding a favorite horse, selected for 
the occasion because of his great powers of endurance. 
The night was very dark, and upon reaching the moun- 
tains the command had to dismount and lead their 
horses. The trail was steep and difficult, especially so 
in the darkness of night. At a particularly bad place 
on the trail Captain Chaffee's horse slipped, lost his 
footing, and rolled down the mountain side. Not 
knowing whether it was ten or a thousand feet. Cap- 
tain Chaffee held onto the bridle reins and went down 
with his horse. After they had rolled about twenty 
yards. Captain Chaffee's weight on the bridle, together 
with some fortunately placed bushes, enabled them 
to stop and recover their footing. When asked next 
morning why he had not let go of the reins, he replied 
that he did not want his pet horse Patty to be killed 
without an effort to save it. 

All through the mountains in sheltered canyons were 
found the ruins of buildings, walls, and dams erected 



I04 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

by a race long since extinct. Evidences of recent 
and long-continued occupancy by the Apaches multi- 
plied. Carcasses of mules, ponies, and cattle were 
scattered along the trails and about the camping 
places. The trail finally led into a narrow, rocky 
gorge, which gradually widened into a small amphi- 
theater, which "Peaches," the captive guide, said 
was the stronghold occupied while he was with the 
Apaches, but which was now abandoned. The pack 
trains experienced much difficulty on this part of the 
trail. Five mules fell over the precipice during one 
day's march and were either killed or had to be de- 
stroyed. Officers and men wearily led their tired 
mounts up, up the steep and dangerous trails. Prog- 
ress was slow and secrecy indispensable. General 
Crook finally sent one hundred and fifty Indian scouts, 
under their officers and white guides, forward on the 
trail so as to keep ahead of the pack trains, guarded 
by Indian scouts and Captain Chaffee's troop. For 
three days the white troopers and pack trains followed 
cautiously on the trail of Crawford and the scouts. 
The command constantly came upon the brush shel- 
ters, or wickyups, of the hostile Apaches, with caches 
of calico, clothing, dried meat, and hides. 

On May 15 an Apache runner, who had come six 
miles through the mountains, arrived with a note 
from Crawford saying that he had run into two hostile 
Indians and doubtless alarmed the main body. At 
that moment firing was heard, and Captain Chaffee's 
troop mounted to move forward and join in the combat. 
The firing died away, however, and about dark Craw- 



Crook's Expedition 105 

ford came back on the trail to camp. He had found 
the rancherias of Bonito and Chatto and in the fight 
which ensued killed nine Indians and captured five 
boys and girls. This was all the damage known to have 
been done. 

The pursuit had led across a broken country, with 
countless ravines, covered with scrub oak and pines. 
All the animals of the hostile bands were captured. 
Intense interest existed throughout the command 
concerning the whereabouts of little Charlie McComas, 
who, it will be remembered, had been captured in New 
Mexico by Chatto's raiders. One of the young squaws 
captured gave the information that a little white boy 
about six years old, called "Charlie," was in the camp. 
He had run away with the old squaws when the 
Indian scouts first appeared. His presence was 
confirmed by other squaws who came to camp and 
surrendered. Unhappily the little boy whose fate had 
set the whole southwestern frontier aflame was never 
recovered. Many of the fleeing Indians were doubt- 
less wounded and fell in the ravines and underbrush. 
If Charlie escaped injury in his flight, he probably 
perished from exposure. 

The renegade Chiricahuis seemed disconcerted when 
they learned that General Crook was being guided by 
"Peaches," and they began surrendering in squads. 
Among them were five utterly exhausted Mexican 
women, one of whom had a nursing baby, who had been 
captured in Chihuahua by Geronimo during his last 
raid. They were wives of Mexican soldiers who had 
been killed by the Indians. All possible kindness was 



io6 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

shown to the women. Their gratitude was unbounded 
and two became hysterical from over-excitement. 
Altogether thirteen captives — ^women and children, 
held as hostages by the Indians — were recovered. 

The return march with nearly four hundred of the 
surrendered Indians was only less difficult than the 
pursuit in that the tension of the hunter for game was 
relaxed. The presence of so many hostile Indians, 
armed with the best of modern magazine rifles, did not 
insure that confidence which would justify the white 
troops in any relaxation of vigilance. It was with a 
feeling of great relief that on June 15, 1883, the com- 
mand recrossed the border and went into camp at 
Silver Springs with the troops under Major Biddle. 

Captain Chaffee was relieved from further duty 
with General Crook's expedition and proceeded with 
his troop to his old station at Fort McDowell, Arizona, 
having marched nearly a thousand miles during his 
absence in the field. After a few months of rest in 
garrison Captain Chaffee was ordered to proceed with 
his troop and take station at Fort Huachuca, a post 
in southern Arizona near the Mexican border. 

On the crest of the hill at Arlington Cemetery a 
monument has been erected by his comrades to that 
sincere, unassuming, and accomplished soldier. General 
Crook, upon the front of which appears in bronze a 
group consisting of the General, Captain Chaffee, and 
the officers, guides, and chiefs who accompanied the 
expedition into the Sierra Madres in pursuit of the 
Chiricahuis. 



CHAPTER XV 

FRONTIER SERVICE IN NEW MEXICO 

After nine years of most arduouis and dangerous 
frontier service, Captain Chaffee was informed that 
the War Department had under consideration a change 
of station for the Sixth Cavalry. Visions of civihza- 
tion and reunited famihes were of short duration, 
however, for when the long-expected order arrived 
it provided for an exchange of stations between the 
Fourth Cavalry in New Mexico and the Sixth in Ari- 
zona. The Sixth had been privileged to look eastward 
at the Dos Cabezas, and now crossed the line into 
New Mexico and looked westward upon the same 
landmark, being destined to operate against the same 
Indians a little farther to the east on the New Mexico- 
Chihuahua border. 

Captain Chaffee left Fort Huachuca on June 5, 
1884, and marched to his new station, Fort Craig, 
New Mexico, arriving there on June 24. This was one 
of the old posts in New Mexico marked for abandon- 
ment, and a few months after its arrival the troop 
had another change of station, to Fort Wingate, 
on the Navajo Reservation. The neighboring bands 
of Indians had been following the paths of peace for 
many years and were now well established as masters 
of large herds of sheep. Their women had long been 
held in esteem as expert weavers, and their blankets 
were much sought after. Among these surroundings 

107 



io8 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

the only war clouds to be expected would be such as 
might arise from impositions on the part of the whites, 
from which no Indians escaped. These were peaceful 
dreams, rudely shattered in the spring, when on 
May 17, 1885, without reasonable grievance, Geronimo, 
Nana, Mangus, Natchez, and Colorado, with forty 
bucks and ninety-two women and children of the 
most savage element of the Chiricahui Indians, fled 
from the reservation near Fort Apache in Arizona. 
The renegades started for New Mexico over a route 
previously selected with a view to replenishing their 
supply of horses. The pursuing column from Fort 
Apache was in the saddle within an hour after the 
renegades left their camp, but the Indians traveled one 
hundred and twenty miles before halting for rest or 
food. 

Immediately after the outbreak was made known 
troops were put in motion from all available garrisons 
in the effort to intercept the hostiles before they should 
reach Mexico.-^ Within a few days no less than twenty 
troops of cavalry were scattered through the country, 
yet the hostiles eluded them and crossed into Mexico 
on June 10, notwithstanding the pursuers, men and 
animals, had been pushed to the limit of endurance. 
The Indians left more than one hundred and fifty dead 
or abandoned horses and mules along the trail. Cap- 
tain Chaffee reached Hillsboro, New Mexico, on 
May 24, and on May 27 the Indians passed near that 
place. As soon as the trail was discovered Captain 
Chaffee followed it. The pursuit was continued 
through much rough country for five days, the com- 



Frontier Service in New Mexico 109 

mand reaching Lake Palomas in Mexico on the fifth 
day, having trailed the hostiles one hundred and fifty 
miles. Numerous false reports concerning Indians in 
the rear caused the troop to be withdrawn across the 
border to scout the country. 

The operations incident to this outbreak became 
known as the Geronimo Campaign, lasting two years. 
During this period Captain Chaffee's troop occupied 
the eastern part of the long stretch of border guarded 
by the troops to prevent the hostiles from crossing 
back and forth. For eighteen months his troop rode 
the line and guarded water holes, but did not have 
any further encounters with the Indians. Some facts 
concerning this remarkable campaign, although not 
involving Captain Chaffee personally, are cited to show 
the character of service required of the troops. 

Captain Emmet Crawford, Third Cavalry, who had 
gone with his regiment to Texas, was recalled, and he 
reported to General Crook at Fort Bayard, New 
Mexico, for instructions. He was directed to assemble 
a large detachment of Indian scouts and proceed to the 
border, where he was joined by A Troop, Sixth Cavalry, 
which had come from Fort Wingate with Captain 
Chaffee. Captain Crawford took up the main trail, 
with ninety- two scouts and A Troop, Sixth Cavalry, 
following it for more than five hundred miles into the 
Sierra Madres in Sonora, Mexico. During the pursuit 
of the Indians every known water hole along the border 
was guarded by troops and small detachments of scouts. 
On June 22, 1885, Captain Crawford discovered a 
fresh trail, leading into the Bavispe Mountains, and 



no The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

sent Chatto and a party of selected scouts forward 
to overtake and hold the Indians until the main 
command should come up. Chatto discovered the 
rancheria next morning in such a position that it was 
impracticable to surround it, and he therefore made 
the attack at once, and in a running fight of several 
miles captured fifteen women and children and recov- 
ered five horses, some saddles, revolvers, belts, and 
other property obtained by the Indians from Captain 
Lawton's camp in Guadaloupe Canyon when the 
camp guard was attacked during the absence of the 
troop. The Indians were under the leadership of 
Chihuahua, whose family was captured. 

All through the summer the pursuit of the hostiles 
was kept up; yet in November a party of eleven 
renegades slipped through the cordon of frontier 
patrols in New Mexico, being observed by only two 
scouts, one of whom was killed by the hostiles. As 
soon as the party crossed the border the alarm was 
given and the whole country was immediately on the 
alert. The Indians went up the valley of the Mimbres 
River, in New Mexico, and while passing a Mexican's 
ranch attacked two small boys at the woodpile, killing 
one and carrying the other away. This twelve-year-old 
boy survived the most successful, difficult, and danger- 
ous raid ever made by Apaches and was subsequently 
rescued by troops far down in Mexico. 

Vigilance was never relaxed, yet this band went as 
far as the White Mountain Reservation, near Fort 
Apache, where one of them was killed by a friendly 
Indian, this being the only loss sustained by them. 



Frontier Service in New Mexico iii 

They returned by way of New Mexico, waylaying and 
murdering at every opportunity. They actually pre- 
pared an ambush for a troop of the Eighth Cavalry 
scouting for them and killed Surgeon Maddox and 
four men riding at the head of the column in Dry 
Creek Canyon, New Mexico. This party of eleven 
Indians, under the leadership of Josanie, a brother of 
Chihuahua, crossed the border coming north early 
in November and passed back into Mexico before 
Christmas, carrying several captives with them and 
leaving thirty-eight known murders to mark their 
bloody trail. The difficulties of the situation can 
scarcely be comprehended by those not familiar with 
the country in which the operations were carried on. 

In describing the pursuit of the band during 
November, 1885, Captain Chaffee wrote: 

We had to abandon the trail as we found no water and 
the scouts played out. Neither Forsyth nor myself drank 
a drop of anything from here [Cambray] till we got to the 
Rio Grande west of Fort Bliss — about seventy-five miles 
and thirty-six hours of time. We gave all our water to 
the scouts, who being on foot used a great deal — needed 
water to sustain them more than we who rode. At noon 
on the 8th they could hardly speak, they were so thirsty. I 
got water to them about 10:00 p.m., when three of them 
drank seven canteens full in less than an hour. If I could 
have made a night march I feel that I could have reached 
the camp of the Indians, and perhaps have got some of 
them. But there was no moon; I was uncertain where 
they had gone, hence had to keep on the trail. The night, 
in consequence, had to be spent in camp, which served 
to prolong our hours without water, in idleness, when we 



112 The Life of Lieutenant General Chajffee 

ought to have been marching if we were to accomplish any- 
thing. The next day the trail struck out direct for the 
Candelaria Mountains across a desert forty miles. I 
knew then I could accomplish nothing, so gave it up. 
A hundred and fifty mile ride for nothing. 

A note written at Cambray, New Mexico, Decem- 
ber 13, 1885, recites further hardships: 

I returned here last night. Nothing is known of the 
hostiles for a week and I am more than anxious, fearing 
they will be on my line before I hear of their approaching 
it. If they come down by Lake Valley without killing 
anyone or stealing stock, they may, and probably would be 
through my lines a half a day before we would know that 
they were in the vicinity. It was awful cold the night we 
left here at 1:00 a.m. the loth. My moustache was a 
solid piece of ice by four o'clock. It was so cold we had to 
walk most of the way, which stiffened the men badly, some 
being so lame as to hardly be able to get back to camp 
after we had explored the canyon where the water was. 
The "Old Man" is quite able to down most of the young 
officers and the soldiers too, when it comes to hard work and 
fatigue. I really think it is due to my desire to do some- 
thing, that enables me to forget fatigue and endure without 
suffering what others find so hard to bear. 

The prolonged watching of the border proved a 
weary vigil, interspersed with many fruitless forced 
marches and hardships, many of them the result of 
false reports, as, for instance, the following: 

Yesterday at eleven o'clock I got a note from Deming 
that a fight had occurred near Hillsboro on the 30th, the 
day I left there, and that on the night of that day the 
Indians stole twenty horses. I started over here at once 



Frontier Service in New Mexico 113 

with twelve men, expecting to cut the trail leading toward 
the border, but found no sign. On arriving here I heard 
the Indians had gone north. Then a man told me that he 
saw ten or twelve mounted men passing along the slope 
of the Colorado Mountains at 1 1 : 00 a.m. yesterday. These 
mountains are N.E. from here — Hillsboro is N.W. I 
ordered Forsyth to march here today. This morning I 
started for the Colorado Mountains with my twelve men 
and could not find a sign of horse tracks anywhere in 
the country. A twenty mile ride for nothing. No 
doubt the man thought he saw horsemen, but I think it was 
antelope magnified by the mirage. 

After a year of border patrol Captain Chaffee made 
a note: 

The year has flown by slowly — slipped away, day by 
day, as did its predecessor. It has left its mark by adding 
numbers of grey hairs to those in sight a year ago. Further 
than this I do not know that I have any special cause to 
complain. We know there is no such thing as applying 
brakes or locking the wheels of time. 

During the autumn of 1885 General Crook was 
attacked in a scurrilous article which was copied in the 
press of the country. Captain Chaffee, writing of the 
matter, said: 

The squib in the papers that the General would not allow 
the troops to capture Geronimo at Apache you can believe 
a lie. The General is not a natural born fool; the article is 
the mere stuff of a brainless scoundrel and liar. Anyone 
with a grain of sense knows better. If the General has 
made mistakes, it is a question of his judgment against 
the man who claims a mistake has been made. The 
General has been exceedingly patient, knowing that in 



114 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

that way only success can be won. The high-flyer would 
accomplish nothing when General Crook fails, you may 
be sure. 

The troops continued to patrol the border from 
EI Paso westward. Every water hole was watched, 
and columns of troops and Indian scouts were kept 
constantly on the trail of the hostiles to prevent them 
from establishing themselves anywhere free from 
danger. Captain Emmet Crawford, commanding one 
of these pursuing columns, discovered the main camp 
of the Indians near the Arras River in Mexico, attacked, 
and captured all the stock and supplies of the Apaches. 
The Indian renegades asked for a conference, to be 
held the following morning. This was agreed to, and 
Captain Crawford's command, consisting almost en- 
tirely of Indian scouts, lay down for much-needed 
rest and did not exercise the usual vigilance. Before 
daylight the Indian scouts, while asleep, were attacked, 
by one hundred and fifty Mexicans who had been 
trailing the hostiles. The scouts promptly took cover 
and opened fire in self-defense. Every effort was made 
to explain the true status of affairs to the Mexicans. 
Captain Crawford, unarmed, climbed to an exposed 
position on a large rock and had the interpreter make 
known to the Mexicans that they were firing upon 
American officers and scouts. It required the exer- 
tions of all the officers and civilian guides to induce 
the scouts to cease firing. When all was apparently 
over, a Mexican, who had approached within about 
thirty yards of Captain Crawford, without warning 
shot him through the head. In face of such treachery 



Frontier Service in New Mexico 115 

the firing was resumed, and continued until the Mexi- 
cans had lost their commanding officer and second in 
command, after which a parley ensued. Captain 
Crawford was not instantly killed, but died while being 
borne back to the border on a litter. He was a brave, 
modest, efficient, and much-beloved officer, and his 
death in such a manner caused profound indignation 
throughout the army. The act of the Mexican troops 
was promptly disavowed by their government. 

This was a truly remarkable incident. The troops 
of both nations, operating under a treaty, in the effort 
to kill or capture the hostile Indians came together 
and fought while the fiends they were seeking remained 
as observers of the battle. Strange to say, the Indians 
did not flee, but after the fight resumed the conference 
with the Americans and fulfilled their agreement to 
surrender. 

After a conference with General Crook, in the Cafion 
de las Embudos, a day's march south of the border, 
Geronimo and Natchez, with about thirty-five followers, 
became apprehensive and fled again to the Sierra 
Madres. Chihuahua, his brother Josanie, the leader 
of the celebrated raid through New Mexico the pre- 
vious autumn, and seventy-five bucks, women, and 
children surrendered, and on April 7, 1886, were 
sent east by train to Fort Marion, Florida. After 
being pursued and harassed for more than two thousand 
miles, Geronimo and his band were finally induced to 
come in by Lieutenant Charles B. Gatewood, Sixth 
Cavalry, who, at the risk of his life and without any 
assurance of a peaceable reception, rode into the 



ii6 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

hostile camp, accompanied by two friendly Apaches, 
and advised surrender. They formally surrendered at 
Skeleton Canyon on September 4, 1886, and were sent 
east to join those who had preceded them. 

Mangus Colorado, Cochise, Victorio, and Geronimo 
were types of the Apache Indians who, under various 
local names — Chiricahuis, Mescaleros, Coyoteros, and 
others — scourged the southwestern territory for nearly 
three centuries. Predatory, brave, cruel, and rapa- 
cious, they would have been anomalies among Plains 
Indians such as Red Cloud and Spotted Tail. The 
warfare of Chief Joseph, the Nez Perce, was knightly 
in comparison with that of the average Apache. 

Campaigning brings to light many traits of char- 
acter which might otherwise remain unknown. While 
following one of the many trails made by the hostile 
Indians during 1885, Captain Chaffee's troop failed 
to receive their supplies and for a week in the Black 
Range were on less than half-rations. Captain Chaffee 
suddenly developed a violent antipathy to bacon, while 
his young second lieutenant continued to relish it until 
the day before rations reached the command, when 
the cook announced that the supply was exhausted. 
When the rations arrived and Captain Chaffee's appe- 
tite for bacon had returned, it transpired that the cook 
had notified him of the small supply on hand and that 
he had ceased eating bacon that his young subaltern 
might not suffer hunger. 

Following the surrender of Geronimo's band, the 
troops were relieved from duty along the border. 
After an absence of a year and a half in the field 



Frontier Service in New Mexico 117 

Captain Chaffee rejoined his station at Fort Wingate 
by marching, arriving on October 19, 1886. In com- 
menting, in an official report, upon the character of 
service against the Apaches in which Captain Chaffee 
had been engaged for more than ten years, one of the 
superior officers, a veteran of the Civil War, said: 

I am of the opinion that such service involved greater 
hardship, privation, endurance, more unremitting and 
unceasing vigilance, and more harassing difficulties of the 
march, and generally for longer periods of time, than any 
service experienced by me during the Civil War, with the 
possible exception of the Gettysburg campaign; this, too, 
with the chance of irretrievable disaster immeasurably 
greater, and the hope of reward infinitely less. 

Toward the close of this campaign Captain Chaffee 
was urged to avail himself of a leave of absence. His 
reply is typical of the man who through all the years 
of his arduous service considered duty first, safety last : 

Immediately after the close of the campaign will be a 
bad time for me to take a leave. After a campaign, things 
about a troop are pretty well worn, need overhauling, 
replaced by new and mended up generally. This can 
hardly be done as well by anyone as the Captain of the 
troop. Then "I" troop has got to build a stable for its 
horses, the lumber for which is mostly ready now, I believe. 
There is no one who can get more work out of my men than 
I can, and besides, I am a good deal of a boss carpenter 
when once I set about such matters. In fact, I see a good 
deal of work which will need my attention after the cam- 
paign, and as I can only offer personal pleasure on leave, 
in opposition to doing my work, I think it best to stay with 
the latter. 



CHAPTER XVI 
END OF THE INDIAN WARS 

While in garrison at Fort Wingate, New Mexico, 
Captain Chaffee received his promotion to the grade 
of field officer, after more than a quarter of a century of 
exceptional service involving incredible hardships and 
danger. He was appointed major of the Ninth Cavalry 
on July 7, 1888, and was directed to join that portion of 
his new regiment stationed among the Ute Indians 
in southern Utah. He reached his new station on 
August 28, 1888, remaining there two years, "building 
Fort Duchesne, Utah, with signal ability," as reported 
by his department commander. The new post was 
established not so much for defense against the Utes 
as it was to secure peace while the Indians were becom- 
ing accustomed to the new order of agricultural life, 
and to safeguard them from the encroachments of 
white men who had little respect for the rights of the 
Indians to anything desired by the superior race. 
Major Chaffee now had one of the unusual experiences 
of his long career — two years of garrison life in the midst 
of Indians and no war parties to follow. He was 
detailed as acting inspector general of the Department 
of Arizona, serving in that capacity from October 6, 
1890, until July 6, 1893, and in a similar capacity in 
the Department of Colorado until October 4, 1894, 

118 




CHAFFEE IN UNIFORM OF MAJOR OF CAVALRY 



End of the Indian Wars 119 

when he rejoined his regiment at Fort Robinson, 
Nebraska. 

The Ghost Dance craze, encouraged by Sitting 
Bull and other medicine-men and chiefs, had culmi- 
nated, during the winter of 1890 and 1891, in the last 
Indian war of the frontier, known in official history as 
the Pine Ridge Campaign. The close confinement to 
reservations, together with the increasing restrictions 
of the white man's game laws, bore severely upon the 
red men, accustomed to go and come when they pleased, 
and regarding the wild animals as the provision of the 
Great Spirit for the feeding and clothing of his chil- 
dren. From time to time bands of Indians would 
leave their reservations to hunt in violation of laws 
they could not comprehend, and the result was always 
insistent demands that the army should be sent to 
punish them. It is to the credit of the service that in 
every instance the military arm restored the Indians 
to their reservations with utmost kindness and respect 
for their outraged feelings, without war. 

Major Chaffee was sent upon duty of this char- 
acter from Fort Robinson in July, 1895, and remained 
until the end of October, engaged in the operation of 
restoring to the Fort Hall Reservation the Bannocks, 
who had left and headed for their old hunting-grounds 
in and about Jackson's Hole, where the last of America's 
big-game shooting was being reserved for those Ameri- 
cans who were wealthy enough to penetrate that 
country with the necessary transportation and equip- 
ment. Major Chaffee conducted the operation to the 
entire satisfaction of the department commander as 



I20 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

well as for the ultimate good of the Indians them- 
selves. 

It was hard for Major Chaffee to realize that the 
days of Indian campaigning had really come to an end. 
Year after year, during a quarter of a century, he had 
been called to the field, sometimes under tropical 
suns and sometimes in the land of blizzards, where the 
icy winds made life miserable alike to pursuer and 
pursued. With each recurring surrender the Indians 
had been restored to the tender mercies of the agent 
and his harpies, only to find their grievances multiplied. 
As years went by, the settlers with their wire fences 
closed in slowly but surely around the Indian reserva- 
tions, and at last it was forced upon the minds of the 
red men that the wild, free life had been swept away 
by the march of civilization and that the remnants 
of once proud tribes were left stranded as driftwood 
along the shores of progress. Encountering only the 
worst elements of the frontier, too often the mere 
outcasts of society, the unhappy warriors, shorn of the 
power wielded by their ancestors, turned trustingly 
for light as to their future to those with whom they had 
battled and at whose hands they had often suffered 
defeat. In many instances army officers were installed 
as agents and were instrumental in laying the founda- 
tions of lasting peace by showing the Indians the 
utter futility of contending against inevitable fate. 

With the passing of the Indian wars efforts were 
made to improve and standardize the instruction of the 
army with a view to preparedness for normal cam- 
paigns. The service schools were put upon a better 



End of the Itidian Wars 121 

basis, and with increasing interest the improvement 
was rapid and progressive. Upon the recommendation 
of the commandant of the Infanty and Cavalry School, 
Major Chaffee was detailed as an instructor, and upon 
reporting on November 27, 1896, was assigned to duty 
in charge of the Department of Cavalry. At this time 
the student-officers comprised a group of young lieuten- 
ants who had come, at their own request, to receive 
the benefits of the instruction imparted by carefully 
selected instructors in the art of war and allied sub- 
jects deemed essential to qualify officers for the higher 
staff duties and for the command of troops. While 
Major Chaffee had not had opportunities for academic 
military instruction before undertaking the duties of 
actual war in 1861, his abounding experience in cam- 
paign and battle, his well-balanced mind, and his 
sterling character created a place for him immediately 
in the work of the school, for all its theory was but 
preparation for the practice of war. While serving 
as instructor at the school at Fort Leavenworth, Major 
Chaffee received his promotion to the next higher 
grade — lieutenant colonel of the Third Cavalry — on 
June I, 1897. A few weeks later, on July 28, he was 
relieved from further duty at the Infantry and Cavalry 
School and transferred to the Cavalry and Light 
Artillery School at Fort Riley, Kansas. This mounted- 
service establishment was conducted as a school of 
application in which practice was the primary consider- 
ation. 

Lieutenant Colonel Chaffee had now served the 
nation for thirty-six years, and had taken part in half a 



122 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

hundred important battles and combats, and had 
not yet reached the grade of colonel of a regiment. 
Events, however, were shaping themselves for the 
inevitable war with Spain, in which Colonel Chaffee's 
military abilities were destined to receive generous 
recognition, leading ultimately to the highest pro- 
fessional advancement and the well-earned and grati- 
fying expressions of confidence on the part of the 
government. 



CHAPTER XVII 
WAR WITH SPAIN 

The conditions in Cuba were most unsatisfactory 
during the winter of 1897-98. The efforts of our 
officials to preserve neutrality had been long continued, 
though not wholly successful. It was evident that a 
crisis was approaching, but neither the army nor the 
navy was prepared for war. While the legal strength 
of the army still remained on the statute books at thirty 
thousand men, nevertheless appropriations had been 
made for only twenty-five thousand for some years 
preceding 1898. Everything that could legitimately 
be done to make up for past neglect was urged with 
vigor; guns and ammunition, clothing and military 
stores, however, do not appear at the signal from a 
harlequin's wand. The President was well aware 
of our unpreparedness, but it required the co-ordinated 
statesmanship of all those in authority to delay the 
inevitable conflict, when, on February 15, 1898, the 
news of the destruction of the battleship *' Maine" in 
Havana harbor was flashed over the cable. 

For nearly thirty-five years the nation had devoted 
its energies to repairing the damage created by the 
Civil War and to the upbuilding of new states in our 
empire of western territory. There were no matured 
and accepted plans for the expansion of the Regular 
Army in the event of war, and it was evident that 

123 



124 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Congress would hark back to the expensive and un- 
satisfactory methods of the Civil War period. 

The new Spanish minister, Senor Palo y Bernabe, 
entered upon his duties during March, yet early in 
April orders were issued for the concentration of nearly 
all the regiments of cavalry and infantry and the field 
artillery batteries of the Regular Army at southern 
camps, the major portion going to the famous battle- 
ground of Chickamauga, and the others to Mobile, 
Jacksonville, and Tampa. There is little cause for 
satisfaction with the methods employed in going to 
war in 1898, yet the Regular Army, led by veterans of 
the Civil and Indian wars, covered itself with glory and 
did much to save our pride of race — this with but 
meager assistance from the Volunteer Army being 
brought into existence as rapidly as the machinery of 
the War Department could accomplish it. The work 
of organization — the task of putting a quarter of a 
million men under arms and equipping them for actual 
service in less than ninety days — was accomplished, 
but with much lost motion, for the efficiency of the 
War Department had been reduced to the lowest limit 
by persistent curtailment of appropriations. Every 
effort to perfect our military system before the war with 
Spain had met with discouragement and refusal. In 
making up for our past neglect and snatching victory 
from a brave and energetic enemy General Chaffee 
bore a leading part. 

The following telegram started General Chaffee 
toward the theater of preparation for the overseas 
expedition : 



War with Spain 125 

Washington, D.C, April 18, 1898 

Commanding Officer 

Fort Riley, Kansas 

Major General commanding army directs that Colonel 

Chaffee accompany your command to Chickamauga and 

there join his own regiment. 

Carter 

Assistant Adjutant General 

The garrison of Fort Riley left promptly during 
the night of April 18, Colonel Chaffee going with the 
first section. Traveling with troop trains, when horses 
must be taken off each day, so that they may eat, drink, 
and roll in peace once in twenty-four hours, entails 
delay, but is necessary if they are to be fit for hard 
work at the journey's end. 

Upon arriving at Chickamauga on April 23, 1898, 
Colonel Chaffee found that his own regiment, the 
Third Cavalry, was already in camp, and he at once 
joined it. There was some confusion pending the 
organization of brigades and divisions, with announce- 
ment of commanders and staff officers for each. We 
have fought on many fields since the American 
people became a nation, but there has never been 
enough influence in behalf of correct military organi- 
zation definitely to create by law the composition 
of brigades, divisions, corps, and armies until the 
act of June 3, 19 16, provided for such essential 
matters. 

The Regular Army was below peace strength and 
when assembled was simply a collection of regiments, 



126 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

each short two companies under a scheme of skeleton 
organizations necessitated by failure of Congress to 
provide for the full legal strength of thirty thousand 
men. After looking over the situation at Chickamauga, 
Colonel Chaffee made some notes: 

We are not going to Cuba until an army is formed and 
organized; how long that will take I do not pretend to 
know. Order is out organizing brigades; senior colonels 
command brigades. Colonel of Third is the junior here — 
he has no chance for a brigade, consequently I have no 
opportunity for a regiment — but it does not matter. I 
notice the state quotas of volunteers and that Kansas gets 
three regiments of infantry — one brigade — Ohio seven 
regiments — I don't suppose I could get a brigade if I were 
to try, so have concluded to make no effort. I don't 
believe the President will permit an ''On to Richmond" 
cry to hurry him to Cuba before he is ready. It will take 
two months to organize and equip the army which will go 
to Cuba. This war must be popularized throughout the 
country by recognition of volunteer officers in high com- 
mands. The President is no doubt buried deep in requests; 
many will apply, but few can be chosen. We have several 
colonels richly deserving promotion before my claims can 
be considered. If the war lasts a year, changes must re- 
sult, perhaps with me too, but changes will occur. 

The notes jotted down by this modest veteran 
of more than half a hundred battles and combats are 
typical of him. Brave, self-reliant, physically and 
mentally fit for high command, he calmly surveyed 
the field of competitors and admitted to himself that 



War with Spain 127 

others were more deserving, but that if the war should 
last his time for recognition might come. While he 
was committing his thoughts to paper, a group con- 
sisting of the Secretary of War, the Commanding 
General of the Army, and the Adjutant General were 
closeted at the War Department, endeavoring to do 
justice to the country and to the individual ofi&cers in 
the distribution of promotions to the grade of general 
officer in the new Volunteer Army. The author, who 
was an assistant in the office of the Adjutant General 
and had been placed in charge of the appointments, 
promotions, and commissions, remembers well the 
conference in the office of the Secretary of War, at the 
termination of which the Adjutant General came out 
and handed him for execution the order for the pro- 
motions. Upon being asked what he thought of the 
list of promotions, the author promptly replied that 
the list was all right except for three names, the 
omission of which would be noticed by all the army 
from the Far West — Chaffee, Wheaton, and Randall. 
The Adjutant General remarked that the three men 
were of the highest order of merit but were still in the 
grade of lieutenant colonel; nevertheless he went 
back to the Secretary and returned with authority for 
their promotions to vacancies following the list already 
agreed upon. The careers of the three admirable sol- 
diers amply justified their elevation to the highest rank 
available for them. Colonel Chaffee was appointed 
brigadier general of the United States Volunteers on 
May 4, 1898. 



128 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

Following the announcement of General Chaffee's 
promotion this application was received for his assign- 
ment with Missouri Volunteers: 

St. Louis, Mo., May 7, 1898 
President of the United States 

Sir: We now have mobilized, in obedience to your 
instructions, Missouri's quota of volunteers. We earnestly 
request that you assign in command of our five thousand 
men, formerly Lieutenant Colonel, now Brigadier General 
A. R. Chaffee. We are like a ship at sea without a rudder. 
We need a competent man at once to assume control. We 
have our men at Jefferson Barracks awaiting your orders 
and trust you will give us General Chaffee immediately. 
Endorsed by our Missouri people. 

LoN V. Stephens 

The War Department had other plans for the 
employment of General Chaffee, and on May 9 he was 
ordered to report to Major General Brooke for assign- 
ment to duty. The following day General Chaffee 
was directed to assume command of a brigade made 
up of the Second and Seventh regiments of infantry 
and to proceed, as early as practicable, to Tampa, 
Florida. Upon arriving at Tampa he was temporarily 
in command of the Second Division, Fifth Army Corps, 
but when that corps was finally organized for the 
Santiago expedition he was assigned to command the 
Third Brigade of the Second Division. 

General Chaffee's notes of May 15, 1898, state: 

We arrived here yesterday; last night I was. tired; 
getting into camp and the worry I felt because we did not 



War with Spain 129 

have water for our tired men made me tired too. Troops 
have been rushed in here the past week, finding no ade- 
quate provision made to supply the most dire necessities 
in a hot and sandy place. Water has to be piped to 
camping grounds and it takes a good deal of ground to 
camp a force of the size here. Everybody wants elbow 
room and must have it — takes a lot of pipe, and time to lay 
it down. And that is not all, for water is obtained from 
artesian wells and the quantity is somewhat limited because 
of the size of the outflow pipes. All in all, water is now our 
chief cause of complaint. The water is pronounced by the 
surgeons to be most excellent. I hear the troops longest 
on the ground about Tampa find it very healthy. I hear 
the President has called for 75,000 more troops. Doubtless 
it begins to dawn on the mind of the thoughtful man that 
Uncle Sam's hand has been made to reach far beyond the 
expectation of anyone three months ago, and that he cannot 
now withdraw if he would. Our people will now have to 
support an army of a hundred thousand men whether they 
Uke it or not. I think too that the government and Con- 
gress have learned a lesson regarding the National Guard 
which will not soon be forgotten — how woefully unprepared 
it was, yet asserted to be ready for war. No reserve 
supplies with which to go to war; ammunition, clothing, 
tents, transportation — all deficient in an enormous amount; 
this the fault of past Congresses. It is a rude awakening 
to a people who have heretofore talked foolishly about 
strength and readiness to do battle. The weakest power 
of Europe has called our bluff; what would have been 

our situation now had we gotten into a fracas with , 

for example, as many hot heads have talked about for 
several years. Present conditions make one think about 
what might have been. 



130 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

The curiosities of statutes caused this comment: 

It would really seem as though such unfortunate 
changes as have been made here might have been avoided. 
First General Wade was ordered here and Shafter to 
New Orleans. Then Shafter was ordered here and being 
the senior took command. Then both were made Major 
Generals of Volunteers. Under the laws governing 
seniority Wade then ranked Shafter and ousted him. Now 
comes another change and Shafter takes this command 
and Wade goes to Chickamauga. All this must be morti- 
fying to them as it makes the Tommy Atkins of the U.S. 
Army laugh. 

To the American people Tampa became a word of 
reproach, but General Chaffee continued the even tenor 
of his way, getting his brigade ready for war and mak- 
ing frequent notes of his gratification at the smallness 
of the sick list and other matters which are of concern 
to men in the field. It is not strange to find in the 
notes of this old and experienced cavalryman the 
following : 

The Fifth Corps goes with some artillery, the engineer 
battalion, and eight troops of cavalry from each of the five 
regiments in this vicinity — the cavalry go dismounted. 
The cavalry officers are all broken up about the matter 
and count their labor heretofore as lost. It is, any way 
we look at it, too bad, but I suppose an emergency must 
be met in any way possible. Our volunteer infantry is 
unfit to go into battle, hence the cavalry is taken. Events 
are now on which will cause to be made a large increase in 
the army. We shall soon have a Regular Army of 100,000 
men, no less, probably more. 



I 



War with Spain 131 

I don't know to what place we go, but the order calls 
for ten days' travel rations, which indicates to my mind 
either Puerto Rico or Santiago de Cuba. I hear the Fifth 
Corps is soon to go on transports, but I saw General 
Shafter this morning and he said nothing to me about it. 
One can hardly imagine the number of officers and others, 
old soldiers and civilians, who have written or asked me 
to aid them to office. It is not entirely agreeable to me 
to be great, for I dislike to tell men I don't think quite as 
they do sometimes. 

The War Department endeavored to limit general 
officers in the selection of aids to those on duty under 
their immediate command. Selection of an aid, 
hurriedly made, within the limits of a new command, 
is somewhat in the nature of a lottery chance. General 
officers will appreciate a note made by General Chaffee 
a few days after he had made a selection under such 
conditions : 

I am greatly disappointed in my aid; not much force 
and I fear has not a very good comprehension of the duty 
he will have to perform; further, he likes to stand around, 
and talks too much. I made my choice too early, for I 
now see that I could have done much better had I waited 
and observed for a few days. / hope he will soon be pro- 
moted. 

The days at Tampa were filled with the work of 
hurried preparation of an army for overseas service — 
something entirely foreign to our experience except 
that obtained during the Civil War, when troops 
were transported by sea to points along the South 
Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Events over which we had 



132 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

no control were rapidly forcing the crisis. There had 
been no time in which to organize and equip our 
Volunteer Army, or to fill the ranks of our skeleton 
regular organizations, when our secret service agent 
in Havana, obtaining the key of the cable instrument 
during the night, sped upon its way the message of 
assurance that Cervera's fleet was in Santiago harbor. 
Quick action became essential, and, notwithstanding 
the lack of readiness and the approach of the season 
of sickness, the army was destined to immediate 
operations against the enemy. Still uncertainty lurked 
in the air so far as General Chaffee's movements were 
concerned : 

General Shafter told me today that he hoped to put 
troops aboard transports Sunday. Still much to be done 
before that. General Shafter did not tell me that he would 
give Lawton my division, but I think he will have to do it. 
He is a great friend of Lawton's, and Lawton is extremely 
anxious to go on the expedition. He is also an excellent 
officer and ranks me. 

We are going, I now think, to Santiago to help in the 
capture of the Spanish fleet. General Shafter did not tell 
me this in so many words, but, while talking over matters, 
he drew a map of the bay and discussed positions of the 
batteries defending the harbor. There has been an 
attack made on the place by the navy, but results are not 
known here yet. It is probable our departure depends 
somewhat on results of the affair, yet to be reported. I 
think the fleet there. The proposition is to keep it in the 
bay. The number of troops to be encountered is not 
known. I doubt if we have transports here to take more 
than 16,000. 



War with Spain 133 

I lose my division to Lawton and take the 3rd Brigade, 
2d Division, 5th Army Corps. I have already relinquished 
command of the division and assumed command of the 
brigade. 

We are aboard the "Iroquois," the brigade on three 
boats. Left Tampa at 1 130 a.m. yesterday and was loaded 
at 9:25 last night; was up all night before last; on my 
feet all yesterday. Lawton is on the boat also ; he has just 
come aboard and says we are to sail at once for Santiago, 
Sampson having telegraphed that he has reduced the 
fortifications and wants 10,000 men immediately. I never 
felt in better health than now. I have an idea I am to 
keep well and be able to hustle with the best. 

The message from Admiral Sampson which hastened 

the movements of the army on its Santiago campaign 

was as follows: 

Mole, Hayti, June 7, 1898 

Secretary of Navy, Washington: 

Bombarded forts at Santiago 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. 
today, June 6th, Have silenced works quickly, without 
injury of any kind, though stationary within 2,000 yards. 
If 10,000 men were here, city and fleet would be ours in 
forty-eight hours. Every consideration demands immedi- 
ate army movement. If delayed, city will be defended 
more strongly by guns taken from fleet. 

Sampson 



CHAPTER XVIII 

THE SANTIAGO CAMPAIGN 

After the troops had embarked at Tampa a report 
of a mythical Spanish fleet was received in Washington, 
and the sailing of the expedition was suspended until 
the navy could ascertain whether any undue risk 
would attend the voyage under convoy of such war- 
ships as could be assembled for the purpose. The 
delay was very trying to the troops crowded between 
decks, during the heat of summer, without the benefit 
of the sea breeze. General Chaffee kept a very com- 
plete journal during the war. On the eve of depar- 
ture from Tampa Bay he wrote: . 

Off Egmont Key Light, June 14, 1898 
It is just a week today since my brigade came aboard 
ship. We left Tampa yesterday and anchored last night 
off Petersburg, about twelve miles from Tampa. Several 
of the ships were not ready to start yesterday, so another 
day of delay. We were in at Petersburg for water yesterday 
and went aground there; after three hours the tide helped 
us off. Unless something new turns up we will enter into 
the Gulf this p.m. At least such is the appearance of the 
situation now. 

General Chaffee continued his journal during the 
voyage and filed with it a carefully drawn sketch of the 
disposition of the transports and naval vessels convoy- 
ing the fleet. The voyage was not without interesting 

134 



The Santiago Campaign 135 

incidents. The conversations of brother-officers as to 
the effect of the expeditions to Cuba and the Phihp- 
pines on the future of our government were most 
informing. Viewed from our present-day knowledge, 
they were remarkably accurate forecasts of the course 
of history. 

After a week's voyage the fleet of transports, having 
passed around the eastern end of Cuba, arrived off 
Santiago on June 20, 1898. There was much of 
interest and excitement in the sight of the battleships 
and other war vessels cruising about the front of the 
harbor, alert and watchful to prevent Cervera's 
Spanish fleet from escaping. The troops had been 
on board the improvised transports two weeks and 
were eager to be off and at the enemy, but were still 
detained while plans were being devised for the dis- 
embarkation in the face of the Spanish troops, reputed 
to be both courageous and efficient. The ancient 
fort on the headland, Moro Castle, had become cele- 
brated at the time. After viewing it General Chaffee 
noted in his journal its similarity in appearance to the 
"Navajo Church" and other steeple rocks well known 
to those who had followed the Indian trails of the Far 
West. 

After forty-eight hours of delay General Shafter, 
on June 21, assembled the general officers on board 
his ship, the "Seguranga," and informed them that 
the disembarkation would begin next day, as soon as 
the navy ceased bombarding the coast in the immediate 
vicinity. The place selected for the disembarkation, 
Daiquiri, had no harbor and only one pier — a very 



136 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

high one for use in dumping iron ore from cars into 
lighters. There was a small dock extending only a 
few yards from shore. It was therefore necessary 
to make landings on the open beach, through the surf — 
a very difficult operation for men armed and equipped 
for immediate duty ashore. It was necessary to put 
the horses and mules overboard to swim ashore. 
Some of these turned back from the surf and swam out 
to sea and were lost. 

About a thousand Cuban revolutionists had been 
detailed by their commander to operate in conjunction 
with the troops while they were effecting a landing. 
The army lighters had failed to reach Santiago. The 
men were landed in the surf from ships' boats belonging 
to the transports and the Atlantic Fleet, an operation 
with which the army later became very familiar in the 
Philippines. 

General Lawton's division was assigned to the 
advance in the pending operations, being directed to 
begin disembarkation as soon as the naval guns ceased 
firing. As soon as the First and Second brigades had 
assembled on shore. General Lawton moved along the 
coast about two miles in the direction of Siboney. 
Some of the companies of the Third Brigade had not 
yet reached shore at 6:00 p.m., at which time General 
Chaffee with his command followed the other two 
brigades. 

Early the following morning, June 23, General 
Lawton occupied Siboney, making the landing at that 
place available for further unloading of the transports. 
General Chaffee rode into Siboney at daylight, and 



The Santiago Campaign 137 

on the way back to the bivouac of his brigade passed 
General Young's troops moving to the front. General 
Chaffee brought up his brigade and arrived near 
Siboney about 8:30 a.m., at which point he had been 
directed to put his brigade in camp. His journal 
retites : 

Heavy firing heard in front. Before camp had been 
made received note from General Lawton to march to the 
assistance of General Wheeler, who had gone forward 
with Young's brigade and attacked the Spanish troops in 
position at the junction of two roads. A very gallant 
fight by our troops, who suffered considerable loss. Enemy 
retreated, probably not much hurt. The battle had been 
won before I arrived. Moved forward and formed advance 
Hne. Posted one regiment, 7th Infantry, at Sevilla. 

This entry in General Chaffee's journal does infinite 
credit to his generosity. He had been selected to lead 
the advance against Santiago, and his thunder, the 
honor of the first blow at the enemy, had been stolen 
by another, who quickly called for help and received it. 
The incident deserves more than passing notice. 

General Shafter desired above all things to get his 
army on shore after the long confinement on board 
ship. He had no intention of moving against the 
Spanish forces until supplies could be landed and 
arrangements made for their distribution to the troops. 
His orders given to the assembled generals on board 
the "Seguranga," immediately following the dis- 
embarkation of the main body of his troops, establish 
this conclusively. General Shafter had planned to 
have General Lawton's division lead in the advance 



138 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

on Santiago, and General Lawton's plans placed 
General Chaffee with his brigade at the head of the 
division : 

Headquarters 5TH Army Corps 
S.S. Seguran^a, off Daiquiri, June 24th 

To Division Commanders: 

Commanding General directs me to say it is impossible 
to advance upon Santiago until means to supply troops can 
be arranged. 

Take up strong positions, where you can get water, and 
make yourselves secure from attack and surprise. 

General Lawton's division will be in front, Kent's 
division near Juraguasito, where he disembarked, Wheeler's 
near Daiquiri, then Bates. 

General Shafter wrote to General Lawton, on the 
same date, saying: 

I suppose you have received my orders by this time, 
which put you in front, a short distance in advance of 
other troops. I wish you to make a strong position there 
because we may have to hold it a week. I won't move 
until I can make provision to move rations and ammuni- 
tion, so make yourself solid. 

General Shafter's plans to get ready before moving 
against the enemy were disarranged at once by General 
Wheeler, who had passed around General Lawton's 
division and moved forward until the Spanish rear 
guard was encountered at Las Guasimas. Before 
the action had become serious the following message 
was dispatched: 



The Santiago Campaign 139 

24th June, 8:30 A.M. 
General Lawton: 

General Wheeler directs me to say that he is engaged 
with a bigger force of the enemy than he anticipated, and 
asks that any forces you may have be sent forward on the 
Sevilla road, as soon as possible. w D "R ap 

Captain Third Cavalry 

General Lawton, the steadfast, sturdy, and loyal 
old warrior, was not blind to the trick played upon him 
and his division, but complied promptly with the 
request by sending General Chaffee with his brigade 
forward on the main road, and Colonel Miles with his 
brigade, by way of the trail on the northern side of the 
valley, to the assistance of General Wheeler's command. 
The effect upon the Spaniards created by the approach 
of General Lawton's division may possibly be deter- 
mined by the impartial historian of the future. 

We are not a military people, but are given to hero- 
worship. In all our wars individuals have sought to 
gain popular approval, knowing the advantages which 
come from our national tendency. General Wheeler 
had been long in public life and was by no means ignor- 
ant of the value of headlines. The overturning of the 
plans of an army commander cannot be indulged in 
without placing the general success in jeopardy. 

In his autobiography President Roosevelt mentions 
this incident: 

General Young was one of the few men who had given 
and taken wounds with the saber. He was an old friend of 
mine, and when in Washington before starting for the front 



I40 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

told me that if we got in his brigade he would put us into 
the fighting all right. He kept his word. 

General Young had actively superintended getting his 
two regular regiments, or at least a squadron of each, off the 
transports, and late that night he sent us word that he 
had received permission to move at dawn and strike the 
Spanish advance position. He directed us to move along a 
ridge trail with our two squadrons (one squadron having 
been left at Tampa), while with two squadrons of regulars, 
one of the First and one of the Tenth, under his personal 
supervision, he marched up the valley trail. Accordingly 
Wood took us along the hill trail early next morning, till 
we struck the Spaniards, and began our fight just as the 
regulars began the fight in the valley trail 

Soon I learned that he [Wood] was all right, that the 
Spaniards had retreated along the main road, and that 
Colonel Wood and two or three other officers were a short 
distance away. Before I reached them I encountered a 
captain of the Ninth Cavalry, very glum because his 
troopers had not been up in time to take part in the fight, 
and he congratulated me — with visible effort! — upon my 
share in our first victory. I thanked him cordially, not 
confiding in him that till that moment I myself knew 
exceedingly httle about the victory; and proceeded to 
where Generals Wheeler, Lawton, and Chaffee, who had 
just come up, in company with Wood, were seated on a 
bank.^ 

On June 25 General Chaffee brought up the other 
regiments of his brigade, the Twelfth and Seventeenth 
Infantry, to Sevilla, and remained there until June 27, 
when he moved forward with his brigade about one and 

'Theodore Roosevelt, An Autobiography (Macmillan, 1913), pp. 256, 
259, 260. 



The Santiago Campaign 141 

one-half miles on the road to Santiago, closely followed 
by the other two brigades of Lawton's division, which 
constituted the advance of the army. While in this 
position, General Chaffee entered in his notes on June 
27, 1898: 

My command is in advance, four miles from Santiago. 
Effort is being made to close the army up and get rations to 
the camps. Nature has resumed control of, at one time, 
cultivated fields, and with brush, vines, and high grass 
on every hand it is difficult to move off the trails. One-time 
roads are now mere trails, scarcely discernible. Often 
we cannot see beyond a hundred yards unless on some 
elevated point. We hear of Spanish forts and wire en- 
tanglements to be encountered. 

While occupying the position in advance of the 
army General Chaffee, on June 26, made a personal 
reconnaissance of the Spanish lines and prepared 
sketches of the intervening country, showing roads, 
trails, and obstacles to be overcome. These sketches, 
preserved with his journal, were used at the conference 
between Generals Shafter, Lawton, and Chaffee on 
board the "Seguranga" on June 28, 1898, as a result of 
which General Chaffee was directed to open a road to 
the vicinity of El Caney and prepare positions for the 
artillery. This was accomplished on June 29, and 
orders were issued to the army for the advance and 
attack upon the Spanish works. 

On June 30, 1898, the Second Division of the Fifth 
Corps left its camps, or bivouacs, to go into position 
preparatory to the attack on El Caney, the right of the 
American line. The position of the enemy proved to 



142 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

be much stronger than had been expected. The char- 
acter and number of field guns available for the attack 
left much to be desired. Nevertheless, the assault was 
made and the action continued until victory was won. 
A general order was issued on July 4, from the head- 
quarters of the forces in Cuba, stating : 

The Commanding General congratulates the army on 
the result of the first general engagement with the enemy. 
The strongly fortified outpost and village of Caney was 
captured after a most stubborn resistance, nearly its entire 
garrison being killed, wounded, or captured by the Second 
Division, Fifth Corps, Brigadier General Lawton com- 
manding. The heroic valor displayed by these troops 
adds another brilliant page to the history of American 
warfare. 

The defense of El Caney deserves more than a 
cursory mention. The garrison consisted of 430 men 
of the battalion of the Constitution; 40 men of the 
Infantry of Cuba detachment, and 80 volunteers, mak- 
ing a total of 550 men under command of General 
Vara del Rey. The American plan of battle had in 
view the attack of El Caney by an entire division to 
overwhelm it quickly and permit the troops to close in 
on Santiago. The heroic defense of General Vara del 
Rey gave some unhappy hours to the American army 
commander, besides inflicting a loss of 4 ojSicers and 77 
men killed, and 25 officers and 332 men wounded, a 
total of 438 casualties — almost as many as the entire 
number of the defenders. General Vara del Rey, his 
two sons and a brother, were killed in this battle. 
Three of the four American officers and forty-six of 




GENERAL CHAFFEE AT EL CANEY 



The Santiago Campaign 143 

the seventy-seven enlisted men killed in this action 
belonged to General Chaffee's brigade. 

In writing of the fight at El Caney Captain Arthur 
H. Lee, R.A., British military attache, said: 

The strong post had been carefully reconnoitered by 
Brigadier General Chaffee in person, and he had submitted 
a plan of attack which was afterward carried out almost 
to the letter. 

I feel it is only just at this point to mention that however 
novel the absence of reconnaissance in other directions, 
nothing could have been more enterprising or systematic 
than General Chaffee's exploration of his own theatre 
of operations. I had the pleasure of accompanying him 
on more than one occasion, and derived much profit from a 
study of his methods.' 

Leaving his staff behind, he would push far to the front, 
and finally, dismounting, slip through the brush with the 
rapidity and noiselessness of an Indian. My efforts to 
follow him were like the progress of a band-wagon in com- 
parison, but I gradually acquired a fairy-like tread and 
a stumbling facility in sign language, which enabled me 
to follow the general without too loudly advertising our 
presence to the Spaniards. On one occasion we approached 
so close to the Spanish pickets that we could hear the men 
talking over their suppers, and until I began to speculate 
on the probable efficacy of the British passport that was 
my sole defensive weapon. In this silent Indian fashion 
General Chaffee explored the entire district, and was the 
only man in the army to whom the network of bridle- 
paths round El Caney was in any sense familiar.' 

'"The Regulars at El Caney," Scribners, XXIV (October, 1898), 
pp. 403-13- 



144 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

During the progress of the battle Captain Lee in 
passing along in rear of the lines halted behind the 
Seventh Infantry, where General Chaffee was directing 
the action. Captain Lee says of this stage of the pro- 
ceedings : 

Wishing to see how they were faring, I crawled through 
the hedge into the field beyond, and incidentally into such 
a hot corner that I readily complied with General Chaffee's 
abrupt injunction, "Get down on your stomach, sir." 
Indeed I was distinctly grateful for his advice, but could 
not fail to notice that he was regardless of it himself. 
Wherever the fire was thickest he strolled about uncon- 
cernedly, a half-smoked cigar between his teeth and an 
expression of exceeding grimness on his face. The situation 
was a trying one for the nerves of the oldest soldier, and 
some of the younger hands fell back from the firing-line 
and crept toward the road. In a moment the General 
pounced upon them, inquiring their destination in low, 
unhoneyed accents, and then taking them persuasively 
by the elbow led them back to the extreme front, and 
having deposited them in the firing-line stood over them 
while he distributed a few last words of pungent and 
sulphurous advice. Throughout the day he set the most 
inspiring example to his men, and that he escaped unhurt 
was a miracle.^ 

General Chaffee had several narrow escapes at 
El Caney, one bullet cutting his coat on the left shoulder 
and another cutting in half a button on his left breast, 
leaving one-half on the coat. 

'"The Regulars at El Caney," Scribners, XXIV (October, 1898), 
pp. 403-13- 



CHAPTER XIX 
THE SIEGE AND SURRENDER OF SANTIAGO 

After attending to the dead and wounded of his 
brigade at El Caney, General Chaffee moved with the 
division to join the forces along the line of hills sur- 
rounding Santiago and took position on the right of the 
dismounted cavalry division on the morning of July 2. 
The lines were extended gradually until the investment 
of the city of Santiago was complete, cutting off further 
communication with the interior of the island. The 
harbor had become untenable, and at 10:00 a.m. on 
July 3 Admiral Cervera proceeded to sea with the 
Spanish fleet. This was entirely destroyed by the 
American fleet, which had been guarding the entrance 
of the harbor since the Spanish fleet was known to 
have entered. 

At 8 : 30 A.M. of that morning General Shaf ter sent 
the following demand for surrender : 

Headquarters United States Forces 
Near San Juan River, Cuba, July 3, 1898, 8:30 a.m. 

To the Commanding General of the Spanish Forces, Santiago 
de Cuba 

Sir: I shall be obliged, unless you surrender, to shell 
Santiago de Cuba. Please inform the citizens of foreign 

145 



146 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

countries and all women and children that they should 
leave the city before ten o'clock tomorrow morning. 
Very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

W. R. Shafter 
Major General, U.S. A . 

The following reply was received at 6 : 30 p.m. : 

Santiago de Cuba, July 3, 1898, 3:00 p.m. 

His Excellency the General Commanding Forces of United 
States near San Juan River 

Sir: I have the honor to reply to your communication 
of today, written at 8:30 a.m. and received at 1:00 p.m., 
demanding the surrender of this city; on the contrary case 
announcing to me that you will bombard this city and 
that I advise the foreign women and children that they 
must leave the city before ten o'clock tomorrow morning. 
It is my duty to say to you that this city will not surrender 
and that I will inform the foreign consuls and inhabitants 
of the contents of your message. 

Very respectfully, 

Jose Toral 
Commander in Chief, Fourth Corps 

As illustrating the American methods of making 
war, the following messages are illuminating: 

Adjutant General 

Washington 

I do not know that these extreme measures which I 
have threatened be justifiable under the circumstances, 



The Siege and Surrender of Santiago 147 

and I submit the matter for the consideration of the Presi- 
dent. The Httle town of Caney will not hold 1,000 people, 
and great suffering will be occasioned to our friends, as we 
must regard the people referred to, and it is now filled with 
dead and wounded, the dead still unburied. The consuls 
tell Dorst that there are not to exceed 5,000 troops in the 
city. I can hold my present line and starve them out, 
letting the noncombatants come out leisurely as they run 
out of food, and will probably be able to give such as are 
forced out by hunger food to keep them alive. I await 
your orders. W. R. Shafter 

Major General United States Volunteers 



War Department, July 4, 1898, 6: 10 a.m. 

Major General Shafter 

Plaza del Este, Cuba 

Telegram containing demand made by you for sur- 
render of Santiago, the Spanish commander's reply thereto, 
and your reply to him, received. While you would be 
justified in beginning to shell Santiago at expiration of time 
limit set by you, still under the conditions named in your 
dispatch, and for humanity's sake, the postponement of 
the bombardment to noon July 5 is approved. 

R. A. Alger 

Secretary of War 

The arrival of reinforcements from the United 
States enabled General Shafter gradually to extend his 
lines around the city and down to the bay. He there- 
fore communicated again with General Toral with a 



148 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

view to bringing about a surrender without causing 
further loss and suffering: 



Headquarters Fifth Army Corps 
Camp Near Santiago de Cuba, July 11, 1898 

To His Excellency 

Commander in Chief of the Spanish Forces, Santiago 
de Cuba 

Sir: With the largely increased forces which have 
come to me, and the fact that I have your line of retreat 
securely in my hands, the time seems fitting that I should 
again demand of Your Excellency the surrender of Santiago 
and of Your Excellency's army. I am authorized to state 
that should Your Excellency so desire the Government of 
the United States will transport the entire command of 
Your Excellency to Spain. 

I have the honor to be, 

Very respectfully your obedient servant, 

Wm. R. Shafter 
Major General Commanding 

General Linares, the Spanish commander, lying 
seriously ill in Santiago, sent the following cable mes- 
sage to his government on July 12: 

Soldiers without permanent shelter, their only food 
consisting of rice. Unfortunately the situation is desper- 
ate. The surrender is imminent, otherwise we only gain 
time to prolong our agony. The sacrifice would be sterile, 
and the men understand this. The honor of arms has its 
limits; and I appeal to the judgment of the Government 



The Siege and Surrender of Santiago 149 

and the entire nation, whether these patient troops have not 
repeatedly saved it since the i8th of May — date of first 
bombardment. If it is necessary that I sacrifice them for 
reasons unknown to me, or if it is necessary for someone to 
take the responsibility for the issue foreseen and announced 
by me in several telegrams, I willingly offer myself as a 
sacrifice to my country, and I will take charge of the com- 
mand for the act of surrender, as my modest reputation is 
of small value when the interest of the Nation is at stake. 

It was not merely a question of starving out the 
Spanish garrison, for a few cases of yellow fever had 
appeared, and it was not desirable to disembark any 
more American troops. General Shafter expected 
heavy losses in event of an assault by his troops, already 
much weakened by sickness and exposure under a 
tropical sun. It was with intense satisfaction and a 
feeling of genuine relief on the part of General Shafter- 
and the Washington authorities that the following cable 
message was sent and received : 



Plaza, July 14, 1898, 2:40 p.m. 
Adjutant General 

Washington 
Have just returned from interview with General Toral. 
He agrees to surrender upon the basis of being returned to 
Spain. This proposition embraces all of eastern Cuba 
from Aserradero, on the south, to Sagua, on the north, 
via Palma, with practically the Fourth Army Corps. 
Commissioners meet this afternoon at 2:30 to definitely 
arrange terms. W_ r_ Shafter 

Major General 



150 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

For three weeks the American army had been sub- 
jected to a great strain from hard work under most 
unfavorable conditions. General Chaffee had been seri- 
ously ill, and the number of men on sick reports was 
increasing by leaps and bounds. Release from the 
strain of watchfulness and anxiety gave the first oppor- 
tunity to withdraw from the trenches and look after 
the welfare of the troops who had borne every hard- 
ship and danger in the most soldierly manner. 

Chaffee's notes during this period of the siege 
recite : 

We have a tremendous sick list, both officers and men. 
Malarial fever chiefly, while many are sick from exhaustion 
and want of a change of diet. As soon as the company 
kitchens can be got on shore the men will improve rapidly. 
Providence has been most kind to this army, it seems to me. 
Had not the Spanish army surrendered before our own 
broke down physically, a very different condition of things 
would exist here today. We could not have maintained our 
hold before Santiago with our army sick as it is now, and 
with the enemy active in our front, and I think we may 
thank God very gratefully for this victory, gained in the 
face of many blunders and in spite of a woeful degree of 
unpreparedness for campaigning in this country. We are 
all so satisfied with results obtained that I dare say no 
one feels like complaining of inefficiency and deficiencies 
everywhere. At Tampa we saw the complete breaking 
down of the quartermaster and commissary departments, 
but all seemed to think the medical department would be 
efficient and adequate. Horrible disappointment — no one 
will ever know how great unless someone shall have the 
nerve to write a true history of this campaign. 



The Siege and Surrender of Santiago 151 

Mail began to arrive after the surrender with con- 
siderable regularity, and one of General Chaffee's notes 
records : 

I receive a good many letters each mail from mothers, 
sisters, and friends of soldiers inquiring about them. War 
is an awful thing when we think of the extent of the range 
of its miseries. To every part of the land — our country — 
to the home of the poor, as to the home of the well-to-do and 
of the rich. All mothers' hearts cry out in the same sad 
voice: "Tell me something of my darhng boy. Is he 
wounded ; is he dead ? The papers say he is killed but I 
will not believe it so." Fortunately I can answer a great 
many inquiries and say your son is alive and well. I 
find it a wonderfully pleasant duty when I can do this in 
place of saying, "Your son is lost to you." 

The condition of the army at Santiago was made 
known to the nation through the medium of a signed 
statement of those in authority and characterized by 
the press as a "round robin." General Chaffee's 
notes furnish evidence of his views in the plain-spoken 
manner characteristic of the man: 

Yesterday [August 2, 1898] all the general officers who 
were able met at Corps Headquarters to talk over the 
matter of health of the army and what should be done. 
Dispatches from Washington seem to indicate that we are 
to be left to chance in this place rather than make an effort 
to get us away from an impending and almost certain 
epidemic of yellow fever. Because a few sporadic cases 
have occurred, mostly at Siboney, where we landed, the 
purpose seems to be to let the whole army take its chances 
with the plague, rather than run the risk of infecting a 



152 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

transport, or landing a case on the shore of the United 
States. 

Had the withdrawal begun immediately after the sur- 
render took place, two-thirds of this army might be today 
in the United States without the slightest danger to itself 
or our own people. Now our men are so weakened by 
malarial fever that they have not the power to resist 
yellow fever if it breaks out, and we shall lose many unless 
something be done at once. Washington theory about 
stamping out the fever, if it appears in our midst as an 
epidemic, is quite absurd to us who are here on the ground, 
and have examined with care all the country round about. 
Theory seldom works out practically in such matters. It is 
suggested that we move camp frequently, and get to the 
high grounds or mountains. They do not seem to know 
that when we get there we would not be able to feed our 
men; that the soil is a black loam, and at this season a quag- 
mire because of the daily rains. Where we are — the first 
hills from the bay — the ground is hard and gravelly, and 
the heavy storms frequently pass us by. 

It was the unanimous opinion of all the generals and 
the chief surgeons yesterday that the army should be 
sent home at once, and we strengthened General Shafter's 
hands with a paper to that effect, which he can use or not 
as he pleases. We feel very anxious, because of the con- 
dition of our men who are too weak to go through an epi- 
demic of yellow fever. 

It provoked me last week to see transport after trans- 
port leave the bay with hardly a soul on board besides 
the crew. All should have been loaded with troops. 
Probably all has been said here now that will be said and 
done. We shall submit to the decision. If wej^remain, 
God only knows what the result will be. We believe 



The Siege and Surrender of Santiago 153 

that more than half this army will never see America — 
the United States — unless it be moved without delay from 
here. 

I think we have already lost by disease more than we 
lost in battle — a great many more than were killed cer- 
tainly. Nearly every day one or two poor fellows are 
placed in the ground. Perhaps two hundred of the Second 
Division will be left; too sick to be moved now. 

As fresh regiments were being sent to Santiago to 
take over the posts vacated by the Spanish forces it 
became necessary to select a commander for the 
new Department of Santiago, about to be established 
by orders from the War Department. The Adjutant 
General of the Army communicated an offer of the 
command to General Chaffee on August 8, 1898, to 
which he replied, on August 9 : 

Being allowed to express desire, answer in the negative 
in reply to your cable dated eighth. 

In his notes concerning this matter he wrote : 

I would not have the command unless absolutely 
forced on me by an order. This place would be the back 
door of all our military operations. I should be bottled 
up as effectually as was the Spanish fleet. I do not want 
to be so placed and I think my rank entitles me to an 
active command. 

Two days later General Chaffee was directed to 
assume command of the Second Division in place of 



154 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

General Lawton, who had been assigned to the com- 
mand of the Department of Santiago. In rehnquishing 
command of the Second Division to General Chaffee, 
General Lawton issued the following order : 

Headquarters, 2nd Division, 5th Army Corps 
Santiago de Cuba, August 14, 1898 
General OrdersI 
No. 6 j 

Having been ordered to other duty, the undersigned 
hereby relinquishes command of the 2nd Division, 5th 
Army Corps. In doing so he desires to express to the 
officers and enlisted men of the command his thanks for, 
and appreciation of, the gallant and soldierly manner in 
which the duties and labors required of them have been 
performed ; the character of which has been almost unparal- 
leled in severity, danger and importance. The 2nd 
Division, established a little more than two months since, 
proceeded almost immediately to embark for the expedition 
to Santiago de Cuba. Arriving off that coast, it was the 
first to disembark and the first military force to land on 
Cuban soil. Without delay, or waiting to secure rations, 
baggage, or other necessaries or conveniences of any kind, 
the Division proceeded to Siboney, compelling the garrison 
at that place to retire and capturing the town. From this 
point the Division resumed the advance of the Army on 
Santiago de Cuba; laboring almost day and night under 
trying conditions in its marches, reconnaissances and scout- 
ing while covering the advance. Fighting the decisive 
battle of El Caney, unique in the character of its defenses 
and importance of its situation; defended with a stubborn 
resistance permitting no surrender; it was carried by a 
charge such as could be made only by American soldiers, 



The Siege and Surrender of Santiago 155 

killing, wounding and capturing almost every Spaniard; 
moving thence within an hour, with but one man un- 
accounted for, toward the city of Santiago de Cuba, and 
taking up a position on the right of the Army. Hastily 
entrenching, it was engaged with the enemy on the 2nd 
of July. Extending to the right, covering the Bay of 
Santiago, and threatening the safety of the Spanish ships 
of war, they sought safety by flight to sea. Fighting in 
daylight and digging at night, it pressed forward and to 
the right until the lines were at places within one hundred 
and fifty (150) yards of the enemy, and the right resting on 
the Bay of Santiago. The memorable 17th day of July 
came and with it the surrender of the City and the Spanish 
Army, and later the end of the war with Spain. When 
overtaken by the dreaded fever, your courage, cheerfulness 
and fortitude did not forsake you. When the history of 
the war for Cuban independence is written, the 2nd 
Division will deserve and receive a full page in every 
important occurrence which led up to its successful termi- 
nation. 

To my Staff, I desire to acknowledge a special obliga- 
tion for most loyal and faithful duty v/ell performed, under 
circumstances and conditions too trying to be described. 

H. W. Lawton 
Major General, U.S. Volunteers 

As fast as transports became available the regi- 
ments engaged in the Santiago expedition were em- 
barked and sent to a large camp established for their 
reception at Montauk, Long Island. General Chaffee 
embarked on the "Harvard" on August 19, and 
arrived off Montauk on August 25, 1898. Here the 
returning troops were placed in detention camps until 



156 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

it could be observed whether any cases of yellow fever 
existed in the command. 

Prior to General Chaffee's arrival the Adjutant 
General of the Army telegraphed to him that the Com- 
manding General of the First Corps had requested 
his assignment to command the Second Division of 
that corps. The assignment was acceptable, but it was 
essential that General Chaffee should rest and endeavor 
to free his system from the fevers and disorders from 
which he had suffered severely while in the lines invest- 
ing Santiago. The order relieving General Chaffee 
from duty with the Fifth Corps and assigning him to 
command the Second Division, First Corps, at Knox- 
ville, Tennessee, was issued on September 26, 1898. 

With the muster out of the volunteer regiments 
and dispersal of the regular organizations the historic 
Fifth Corps of the war with Spain ceased to exist. 
It was mainly a corps of Regulars, to whom honor 
is justly due for the splendid achievements of the brief 
campaign in Cuba. Hurried from widely separated 
posts on the frontier, put aboard transports in mid- 
summer, disembarked in the surf of a tropical shore, 
without dependable reserves of men and supplies, 
the little army of highly trained men moved to the 
assault of an intrenched enemy, and, in face of theory 
and academic teaching, wrested victory from aston- 
ished opponents, received the surrender of an enemy 
larger in numbers, and materially hastened the down- 
fall of Spanish power in the West Indies. 

Upon the surrender of the Spanish forces at Santi- 
ago the following congratulatory order was issued: 



The Siege and Surrender of Santiago 157 

Headquarters U.S. Troops in Cuba 
Santiago de Cuba, July 19, 1898 
General Orders'! 
No. 26 / 

The successful accomplishment of the campaign 
against Santiago, resulting in its downfall and the sur- 
render of the Spanish Forces, the capture of large amounts 
of military stores, together with the destruction of the 
entire Spanish Fleet in the harbor^ which upon the invest- 
ment of the city, was forced to leave, is one of which this 
Army can well be proud. 

This has been accomplished through the heroic deeds 
of the Army, and to its officers and men the Major General 
Commanding oflfers his sincere thanks for their endurance 
of hardships heretofore unknown in the American Army. 
The work you have accomplished may well appeal to the 
pride of your countrymen and has been rivaled upon but few 
occasions in the world's history. Landing upon an un- 
known coast, you faced dangers in disembarking and 
overcame obstacles that even in looking back seem insur- 
mountable. Seizing, with the assistance of the Navy, the 
towns of Daiquiri and Siboney, you pushed boldly forth 
gallantly driving back the enemy's outposts in the engage- 
ment of Las Guasimas and completed the concentration of 
the Army, near Sevilla, within sight of the Spanish strong- 
hold at Santiago de Cuba. 

The outlook from Sevilla was one that might well have 
appalled the stoutest heart; behind you ran a narrow road, 
made well nigh impassable by rains, while to the front 
you looked out upon high foothills, covered with a dense 
tropical growth, which could only be traversed by bridle 
paths, terminating within range of the enemy's guns. 
Nothing daunted, you responded eagerly to the order to 



158 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

close upon the foe and attacking at Caney and San Juan, 
drove him from work to work, until he took refuge within 
his last and strongest entrenchments immediately sur- 
rounding the city. 

Despite the fierce glare of a southern sun and rains that 
fell in torrents, you valiantly withstood his attempts to 
drive you from the position your valor had won. Holding 
in your vise-like grip the army opposed to you, after seven- 
teen days of battle and siege, you were rev*^arded by the 
surrender of nearly 24,000 prisoners — 12,000 being those in 
your immediate front, the others scattered in the various 
towns of eastern Cuba ; freeing completely the eastern part 
of the Island from Spanish troops. This was not done 
without great sacrifices. The death of 230 gallant soldiers, 
and the wounding of 1,284 others, shows but too plainly 
the fierce contest in which you were engaged. The few 
reported missing are undoubtedly among the dead, as no 
prisoners were lost. 

For those who have fallen in battle with you, the Com- 
manding General sorrows, and with you will ever cherish 
their memory. Their devotion to duty sets a high example 
of courage and patriotism to our fellow countrymen. 

All who have participated in the campaign, battle and 
siege of Santiago de Cuba will recall with pride the grand 
deeds accomplished, and will hold one another dear for 
having shared great sufferings, hardships, and triumphs 
together. All may well feel proud to inscribe on their 
banners the name of "Santiago de Cuba." 

By Command of Major General Shafter: 

E. J. McClernand 
Official Assistant Adjutant General 

R. H. Noble 
Aid 



CHAPTER XX 
EL CANEY— THE OFFICIAL REPORT 

The following report of his reconnaissances of El 
Caney and of the battle itself is typical of General 
Chaffee's modesty as well as of his methods. No other 
commander in the army took such pains to inform 
himself regarding the strength and position of the 
Spanish forces. His sketches were used in the prepara- 
tion of the plan of attack. 

Headquarters 3D Brigade, 2nd Div., 5TH Corps 
Near Santiago, Cuba, July 4, 1898 
The Adjutant General 

Washmgton, D.C. 

Sir: In connection with the operations of the 3d 
Brigade, 2nd Division, 5th Corps of July ist, I have the 
honor to report that the road traversed by the Army from 
Siboney towards Santiago de Cuba, forks to the right about 
five miles from the latter place. The right-hand road 
runs a little west of north to a place called Caney, the 
distance in an air line being about four miles. The main 
road leads generally west to the city. Santiago and Caney 
are connected by a broad, well-marked road, and are about 
six miles apart. This road also is a main thoroughfare to 
Guantanamo. Thus the point first mentioned (the fork of 
the road), Santiago, Caney, form a sort of triangle inclos- 
ing a vast thicket of brush and vines, the interior of which 
is only traversed by paths, although called roads. About 

159 



i6o The Life of Lieutenant General Cha^ee 

three miles from the fork towards Caney, a road branches 
to the left to the northwest, and intersects the Santiago- 
Caney road at about a mile west of the latter place. 
Further on towards Caney, about 600 yards, a trail branches 
to Caney, passing around on the south side of a ridge over- 
looking Caney. This ridge, which is short, is about 800 
yards from the south-east corner of the town, where was 
located on a round and prominent knoll, a stone building 
used by the Spanish troops as a place of defense. Outside 
the building was sunk a trench about 3 feet deep, and cover- 
ing the east, south, and westerly faces of the building. 
South of the town on lower ground, perhaps 100 yards 
from the houses, was located a small block-house, the 
structure being of wood, banked with earth on the outside 
about 4 feet high. On the northwest corner of the town 
was a similar and larger block-house. On the northeast 
face was a line of intrenchments close in to the town. The 
buildings and streets were also used by the Spanish troops 
for protection. About one mile northeast of the town on 
the side of the mountain was located a block-house, its 
capacity being 15 to 20 men. This block-house was to the 
right of the line of march of the 7th & 17th regiments of 
Infantry, to be explained. On the 26th of June I examined 
this place from the ridge explained as being about 800 yards 
southeast of Caney, and reported the fact to the Division 
Commander. The main road to Caney continues on from 
the trail passing around to the eastward of a sugar-loaf 
mountain, and intersects the Caney-Guantanamo road 
about 2 miles east of the former place. This section of 
the Caney road, a mere trail, is extremely difficult for 
troops in single file to march over. Being authorized by 
the Division Comdr., I cleared the road for about three 
miles for the passage of artillery, also a position for a 



El Caney — The Official Report i6i 

battery to the left of the road, this at the place where 
the first road branches to the left and intersects the main 
road Caney-Santiago. The position for the battery was 
about 2,000 yards from the town. 

On the afternoon of June 30 I received verbal orders 
from the Division Comdr. to march on the Caney road and 
attack the Spanish position from the eastward. I marched 
at about 5 o'clock and assembled my brigade at the sugar- 
loaf mountain after dark, passing on the way Capron's 
battery, supported by the ist Infantry, of the 2nd Brigade. 
We camped without fires. I led forward on the Caney 
road Young's company of the 7th Infy., about one mile up 
to a point where it could seize a ridge at daylight. I 
also took forward by the trail, a company of the 12th Infy. 
about half a mile, and directed it to seize the ridge at day- 
light overlooking the town from the southeast. This ridge 
was the point on which the brigade was to base its left 
flank. Col. Comba commanding the 12th Infy. was given 
orders to march by this trail, base on this ridge and deploy 
to his right, and attack in the direction of the town. I 
led the 7th and 17th, preceded by about 50 Cubans, by the 
Caney road to the Guantanamo road, following the latter 
towards the town. The head of the column came into con- 
nection with the right of the 12th at 7:50 a.m. and about 
f mile east of Caney. At this point we received the enemy's 
skirmish fire, both from the town and from the block-house 
on the right before referred to. The 7th Infy. was deployed 
on the right of the road in an irregular way, because of 
the difficult nature of the terrain. Practically the 7th was 
on the right of the road and the 12th on the left, and formed 
a line of battle facing the town. The 17th Infy. was 
directed to proceed to the right of the 7th, the Cubans to 
attack the block-house to the right. The artillery, Capron's 



1 62 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

battery, opened fire on the stone building some minutes 
before my line was extended. As we pressed forward 
the enemy's fire became very severe, and in the course of 
the action the 7 th Infy. particularly met with heavy and 
severe loss in killed and wounded. The 12th also had 
losses, the 17th but few, owing to the fact that only the 
head of the column became exposed to the fire of the 
enemy. The action lasted nearly throughout the day, 
terminating at about 3:00 p.m., at which time the stone 
block-house was assaulted by Capt. Haskell's battalion 
of the 12th Infy. under the personal direction of Lt. Col. 
Comba commanding the regiment. The resistance at this 
point had been greatly affected by the fire of Capron's 
battery. A few moments after the seizure of this point, 
the key to the situation, my left was joined by Gen. Bates 
with a portion of his command. He soon after withdrew. 
This action was continuous throughout the day, with brief 
lulls for the purpose of quieting and resting the men, who 
were fatigued from their difficult march and broken sleep 
of the night previous. They marched to the field of 
battle without breakfast except a cracker and a drink of 
cold water. 

The conduct of all officers observed by me, and I saw 
the most of them, is deserving of unlimited praise. The 
same may be said of the enlisted men with some few excep- 
tions. All of the men were without battle experience, 
but the great majority went forward into action in a very 
soldierly and gallant manner. The reports of regimental 
commanders have been forwarded to Division Headquar- 
ters. These reports are unsatisfactory to these officers 
themselves, because of the limited time that has elapsed 
since the engagement, nearly all of which has been expended 
in fatiguing march or in the preparation of trenches for 



El Caney — The Official Report 163 

defense. They are also without proper means to render 
their reports in form to insure durabihty. I very cordially 
and heartily concur now and for the future in any special 
mention of distinguished conduct on the part of officer or 
enlisted man which commanding officers of regiments 
have now, or may hereafter submit. The brigade is 
greatly indebted in its successful operation for the assistance 
rendered it by Capron's battery of artillery. Its fire 
on the stone block-house was accurate and very effective. 
The brigade is also indebted for assistance rendered by the 
command of General Bates, whose movements from the 
south on the town necessarily drew from me a portion 
of the enemy's fire. Immediately after the action ceased, 
I directed a thorough search of the field we had foilght over, 
for our wounded and dead. These I think all collected 
before dark. After this I permitted the men to make 
coffee, detailed one company, Howell's 7 Infy., to remain 
with the wounded and bury the dead, and at 7:30 to 8 
o'clock, marched for Ducoureaud House, a point of assembly 
of the Division, previously directed by the Division Com- 
mander. We arrived at about 11 o'clock p.m., officers and 
men exhausted of strength to the extent they were hardly 
able to walk. The brigade lay down on the road and rested 
till 3 A.M. At the Ducoureaud House I joined the Div. 
Commander who informed me he had sent me an order 
to leave a regiment at Caney. The courier had failed to 
find me before marching. The Division Commander 
concurred with my opinion that the return of a battalion 
would be sufficient strength. It was so ordered, Coolidge's 
battalion of the 7th Infy. being sent back, this in addition 
to Howell's Co. of the same regiment left behind, made 
5 companies of this regiment on guard at Caney. Through 
a misunderstanding of my order, or the non-compliance 



164 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

therewith on the part of Captain Howell, one company of 
the 17th Infy. was left at Caney and is still absent at that 
place. 

At 3:00 A.M. July 2nd the brigade resumed its march 
on El Pozo, thence on San Juan, and took position on the 
right of the Cavalry Division commanded by General 
Sumner, arriving on the ground at 7 : 30 a.m. 

The losses of the brigade in battle from daylight July 
ist to 7:30 A.M. July 2nd are as follows: 

7th Infantry; killed, officer i (2nd Lt. Wansboro). 
Enlisted men 34. Wounded, officers, 4 (Major Corliss, 
Capt. Jackson, ist Lt. Grisard, Adjt., & 2nd Lt. Lafferty). 
Enlisted men, 93. Injured, enlisted man, i. 

12th Infy. Killed, officer i (2nd Lt. Churchman who 
died of wounds on July 2nd) . EnHsted men, 8. Wounded, 
officer I (2nd Lt. Dove). Enlisted men, 30. 

17th Infy. Killed, officer, i (ist Lt. Dickinson, 
R.Q.M., who died July 2nd of wounds). Enlisted men, 4. 
Wounded, officer i (Lt. Col. J. T. Haskell). Enlisted 
men, 23. Missing, enHsted men, 2. 

Total loss, killed, officers 3 ; enHsted men, 46, 

Wounded, officers, 6; enHsted men, 146. 

Missing, enlisted men, 2. Injured, enlisted man, i. 

Total loss 204. 



CHAPTER XXI 
THE RETURN TO CUBA 

Under the Treaty of Paris events were gradually 
shaping themselves, and the replacement of the Spanish 
garrisons in Cuba by American troops had progressed 
rapidly. In taking over the control of the island it 
became necessary to establish a military government 
to administer affairs, pending the final disposition of 
the island at the hands of Congress, under the pro- 
vision of the act which declared our altruistic inten- 
tions in going to war with Spain. 

After the return of the army from Santiago many 
changes of command had become necessary, owing to 
promotions and other shifting of personnel. On 
October 13, 1898, a general reorganization of the several 
army corps in the United States was ordered, and 
General Chaffee was assigned, under the new arrange- 
ment, to the command of the First Division of the 
Fourth Corps at Huntsville, Alabama. 

The following correspondence will explain General 
Chaffee's relief from his new command within a few 
weeks and his return to Cuba as Chief of Staff to the 
Military Governor: 

Adjutant General's Office 

Washington, December 13, 1898 

Major General A. R. C ha fee 

Huntsville, Alabama 
Confidential 

General Brooke has just been assigned to the command 
of the Military Division of Cuba, and Acting Military 

i6s 



1 66 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Governor, with the power and duties heretofore devolving 
upon the Governor General. The President and Secretary 
of War are anxious that he should have a staff of high rank 
and first order of ability. To meet this requirement, 
General Brooke desires your assignment as his Chief of Staff. 
Inform me at once if it will be agreeable to you. If so, 
get yourself in readiness to leave for Havana as soon as 
possible. In my judgment this is a very important 
assignment, even for an officer of your rank. This, how- 
ever, by way of suggestion only. jj q Corbin 

Adjutant General 

While a command commensurate with his rank was, 
in the nature of things, much more desirable to a soldier 
of General Chaffee's type, he sacrificed his wishes in the 
matter and, from a sense of duty, replied that the 
assignment would be agreeable. On December 19, 
1898, he was ordered to proceed to Havana, Cuba, 
and report in person to Major General John R. Brooke 
for duty as chief of staff. 

There were no military operations of moment in 
Cuba at that time requiring an officer of General 
Chaffee's rank in the position of chief of staff. It was 
necessary, however, to reorganize the government of 
the island under American auspices with a view to its 
ultimate independence. The temporary arrangements 
for the government of Cuba, the Philippines, Porto 
Rico, and other islands taken over as a result of the 
war with Spain were giving the American authorities 
many anxious moments. Our system of government, 
based upon a constitituon applicable to United States 
territory on the continent of North America, did not 



The Return to Cuba 167 

lend itself readily to the administration of affairs 
under the Spanish system. The policy to be pursued 
became at once a bone of political contention between 
the two great parties, and there was also much of non- 
political misgiving concerning the so-called imperialism 
involved in attempting to make the Constitution follow 
the flag. The administration of Cuban affairs was 
under observation and criticism from within as well as 
from without. Demands for more definite announce- 
ment of administration policies, and threatened and 
actual investigations, were the order of the day. 
There was neither glory nor satisfaction in the future 
outlook, but General Chaffee proceeded under his 
orders and arrived in Havana on December 26, 
1898. 

On December 28, 1898, General Brooke published 
a general order, by authority of the President, assuming 
the duties of Military Governor of the Island of Cuba 
and the command of the military division embracing 
the troops in the island. At twelve o'clock noon, 
January i, 1899, General Brooke, accompanied by 
General Chaffee and the officers constituting the Divi- 
sion Staff, proceeded to the palace of the Spanish 
Governor General. The formal relinquishment of 
Spanish sovereignty in the island was then made by 
the Governor General, on the part of Spain, to the 
American commissioners, and immediately transferred 
by them to General Brooke as Military Governor. 
Immediately following the ceremonies the retiring 
Spanish Governor General embarked on a ship for 
Matanzas, at which point and Cienfuegos about fifty 



1 68 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

thousand Spanish soldiers had been assembled for trans- 
portation back to Spain. The complete evacuation of 
Cuba by the Spanish army was accomplished on Feb- 
ruary 6, 1899. 

While matters were generally quiet in Cuba, the 
revolutionary army did not appear inclined to dis- 
band. Very few seemed disposed to return to their 
homes. Arrangements had been made for a conference 
between the Military Governor and General Gomez, 
as the head of the Cuban army, which had maintained 
the revolution against Spain. The distribution of an 
appropriation of $3,000,000 awaited the adjustment 
and acceptance of terms involving the dissolution of 
the Cuban army. Matters were somewhat compli- 
cated by the sessions of a Cuban Assembly away 
from the capital, the members of which were for the 
most part officers of the Cuban revolutionary army. 
Having been advised, apparently, that by holding 
together the army would receive pay for its services 
during the entire revolution, the Cuban patriots were 
not inclined to disband. 

It was fully realized that, as between the large 
business interests which would be relied upon to sup- 
port the new government, as an independent nation, 
and the revolutionists who had kept alive the contest 
against Spain,. some understanding and adjustments 
were necessary before Cuba could go far upon its road 
of constructive upbuilding. To add to the confusion 
there were numerous bands of outlaws and bandits 
who had availed themselves of the opportunity offered 
by unsettled conditions to commit murders and depre- 



The Return to Cuba 169 

dations against property. Their suppression called for 
the ungloved hand. 

The duties of army officers in all the new possessions 
were difficult in themselves, but were made intolerable 
in many instances by the lack of appreciation of their 
efforts at home. General Chaffee, although acting 
in the capacity of a staff officer, and not, therefore, 
responsible directly, felt keenly the conditions, but 
contented himself with recording his opinion: 

Of course I recognize that politics is at the bottom of 
all the fracas and that the move is merely a scramble for 
advantage of position this fall, and that the course that 
has been adopted is to put the administration on the 
defensive. 

Immediately following the taking over of Cuba from 
the Spanish authorities General Chaffee had become 
responsible for the financial affairs, with supervision 
and direction of much of the other business concen- 
trated in the offices of the Military Governor and 
Commanding General of the American forces. Because 
of his responsibility in the matter, the Military Gov- 
ernor deemed it necessary that his headquarters should 
retain full control of the revenues of the island. This 
view was not pleasing or acceptable to all of the sub- 
ordinates, and suggestions were made that collections 
at customhouses within the limits of a department 
should be made the basis of appropriations for such 
department, or that a specified percentage only of the 
collections within the limits of a department should be 
paid into the general treasury. 



lyo The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Matters drifted along for some time, with more or 
less recrimination, but the influences operating against 
the Military Governor eventually became strong 
enough to bring about his relief. As General Chaffee 
had been ordered to Cuba as chief of staff at the special 
request of General Brooke, he very naturally assumed 
that his own relief from duty at Havana would follow. 
He finally invited the attention of the War Depart- 
ment to the matter and was informed on Decem- 
ber 21, 1899, by the Adjutant General, that: "The 
Secretary of War desires that you remain temporarily 
in Havana. In the near future further provision will 
be made for you, probably in this country." General 
Chaffee felt assured that his services had been appre- 
ciated by General Brooke, but he was very eager to be 
relieved from staff duty. To use his own language: 

In almost any other situation I could have broken my 
neck, ruined every chance for the future, or, not having 
done that, my prospects would have been improved. I 
would have kept pace with others, instead of falling so 
utterly into darkness. I do not object to the future of 
others, but I hold myself as in bad luck when so placed as 
to be out of the field of contest. Had I asked to be relieved, 
a construction detrimental to my future might be placed 
upon my act. I have, therefore, been very cautious not 
to give even the semblance of an utterance, by word or sign, 
as to the disgust that I feel because I came here a year ago 
last December, where I have been practically buried ever 
since that time. 

While in Cuba General Chaffee had suffered, in 
common with other distinguished officers, a reduction 



The Return to Cuba 171 

in volunteer rank to the grade of brigadier general, 
owing to a reduction and general reorganization of the 
army consequent upon the termination of the war 
with Spain. He recorded his determination to serve 
faithfully wherever the Secretary of War believed the 
interests of the government demanded, but the posi- 
tion in which he now found himself was very trying for 
a veteran of half a hundred battles and combats. His 
new commander, whom he was serving as chief of staff, 
was a captain in the Medical Corps, who had been 
advanced within a few months from attending surgeon 
at the White House to major general of Volunteers, 
and substituted in command at Havana over the 
heads of all the tried and battle-tested generals in 
Cuba. General Chaffee's dignified loyalty and faith- 
fulness to every duty under these trying circumstances 
attracted the favorable notice of the President and led 
soon after to his assignment to command the China 
Rehef Expedition. The Secretary of War, in announ- 
cing his selection for the China command, stated that in 
the opinion of the President a man who could rule his 
own spirit could take a city, and General Chaffee was 
therefore sent to take Pekin and relieve the besieged 
legations. 

Soon after the relief of General Brooke an article 
by an officer formerly on duty at the headquarters 
at Santiago appeared in the North American Review. 
The publication was belated, but its intention, and 
apparently inspired character, offended General Chaffee 
in its references to the conduct of business at the 
headquarters, where, as chief of staff, he had been 



172 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

charged with the allotment of the revenues of Cuba 
for disbursement, and he took exception to the article, 
especially this paragraph, as reflecting on him: 

Another effective device of the Junta at Havana for 
increasing their power has been to make every munici- 
pality in the island directly dependent on the general 
treasury at the capital for the means with which to pay its 
way. No municipality is allowed to raise sufficient 
revenues out of its own resources and expend them for its 
own benefit. The custom house receipts and the greater 
part of the internal revenues are sent to the capital, there 
to be doled out to the cities and towns, for their local 
expenses, in sums deemed suitable for the purpose by 
functionaries who have no local knowledge whatever, and 
who may give or withhold as may suit their discretion or 
their personal or political interest.^ 

General Chaffee kept his own counsel, but recorded 
his personal views that the new Military Governor 
should be privileged to select his own staff: 

General Wood needs about him very steady and cau- 
tious men — men who are not his tools — sycophants; but 
he does not want such material. It is necessary to serve 
him as he wishes, that his assistants think as he does, and 
beheve in his infallibility. He is himself a quick thinker, 
a hard worker, but this does not necessarily imply that he 
is a correct thinker always. He is further impressed with 
the idea he has a mission — is charged with a great reforma- 
tion. 

' Major James E. Runcie, "American Mismanagement of Cuba," North 
American Review, CLXX (February, 1900), 284-94. 



The Return to Cuba 173 

Considerable time passed without action, and Gen- 
eral Chaffee felt that his wishes to be relieved as chief 
of staff to the Military Governor should receive early 
consideration. He had continued in the performance 
of the duties of the office long enough after the change 
of military governors to prevent any misconstruction of 
his motives. He had never been able to shake off the 
effects of the fever which had troubled him periodically 
since the Santiago campaign, and the confinement of 
administrative work was having a depressing effect. 
Under the circumstances he regarded a summer in the 
north woods as essential to his complete recovery from 
the effects of malaria, and he therefore submitted a 
formal application to be relieved. In forwarding the 
application to the War Department the division com- 
mander remarked: 

I shall regret to lose the services of General Chaffee, 
and were it not that I believe it may be to his personal 
advantage, I would oppose his retiring from a position that 
he has filled with ability and assiduity rarely seen among 
public men. I trust he may be given a command com- 
mensurate with his ability. 

Upon his relief from duty as chief of staff at his own 
request the following remarks were included in a 
general order of May 16, 1900, from the headquarters 
at Havana: 

In complying with this request the Division Com- 
mander desires to make known his high appreciation of the 
able manner in which the duties of Chief of Staff have 



174 The Life of Lieutenant General C ha fee 

been performed by General Chaffee, the constant, unre- 
mitting labor given to the responsible bureaus committed 
to his charge since the military occupation of the Island 
of Cuba in January, 1899, and the satisfactory results of 
that labor as shown by the records at these headquarters. 
General Chaffee bears with him the high esteem and best 
wishes of the Major General Commanding, in this separa- 
tion of their official connection, and the hope that in his 
future field of action he may be assigned duties commensu- 
rate with his distinguished professional ability. 



CHAPTER XXII 
CHINA RELIEF EXPEDITION 

Grown restive under the long confinement incident 
to his administrative duties in Havana, General Chaffee 
had planned to avail himself of the summer months to 
go to Canada and travel westward to the Pacific, 
returning to the East by one of the American routes 
and spending the latter part of the period of rest and 
recuperation in the woods of Maine. After arriving 
home, and before he could put any of his plans into 
execution, he was directed to report to the Secretary 
of War in person. General Chaffee was then informed 
that he had been selected to command the American 
forces which were to march to the relief of the belea- 
guered legations in Pekin. 

The progress of the "Boxer" uprising in China had 
caused much concern to all the nations having diplo- 
matic representatives in China. As early as June i6, 
1900, instructions had been sent to the commanding 
general at Manila to send a regiment of infantry to 
Taku, where the American fleet had assembled. It 
was intended that the regiment should proceed to 
Pekin and report to the American minister for the 
protection of the legation and of American citizens 
and property. The Ninth Infantry was chosen, but a 
violent typhoon in Manila Bay delayed embarkation, 
and the regiment did not sail until June 27. In the 

175 



176 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

meantime the European squadrons i'n Taku Bay had 
opened fire on the Taku forts and captured them, 
clearing the way to Tientsin. The foreign legations 
in Pekin were already in a state of siege, and an expe- 
dition for their relief organized and commanded by 
Admiral Seymour, British Navy, had been attacked 
by Chinese troops and driven back to Tientsin with 
heavy loss. 

The situation had gone beyond the power of mere 
landing parties from the fleets, and troops of several 
nations were immediately placed under orders to con- 
centrate at Tientsin. Additional American troops were 
ordered from Manila and home stations to form a 
division of about fifteen thousand men. On June 26, 
1900, General Chaffee was selected to command the 
American troops under orders to China and was directed 
to proceed to San Francisco and sail immediately under 
instructions which would be handed to him prior to 
his departure. He started westward without delay. 
While crossing the Middle West, so familiar during 
the quarter of a century when he was constantly 
engaged in Indian warfare, he pondered over the new 
task committed to him and made a note of his thoughts : 

I worry not a little for myself and reputation on this 
service because of its international character. A misstep 
or serious mistake might involve our country in a serious 
quarrel against its wish and to my everlasting undoing. 
On the other hand, if I am too cautious and lose an oppor- 
tunity, I will be criticized at home. 

Arriving in San Francisco, General Chaffee went 
immediately aboard the transport "Grant," on which 



China Relief Expedition 177 

had already been embarked the Sixth Cavalry, the 
regiment in which he had spent the formative years of 
his mihtary life, 1861 to 1888. The transport put to 
sea, but when a few miles out broke a steam pipe and 
was forced to return for repairs. Omens are always 
noticed by many soldiers in their undertakings, and 
such an accident would have appeared unfavorable to 
most men. Not so with General Chaffee, however, 
for after the final start he emerged from his cabin 
in the evening and saw the new moon over his 
right shoulder, an omen in which he took much 
satisfaction. 

Before sailing General Chaffee received the follow- 
ing telegraphic instructions: 

War Department, Washington, June 30, 1900 

General Chaffee 

Care Transport ^' Grant" 

San Francisco, California 

The Secretary of War directs that you proceed by the 
transport "Grant," which will sail from San Francisco 
on or about the ist day of July, to Nagasaki, Japan, there 
to receive such orders as may be telegraphed you at or 
about the time of your arrival, in view of the then existing 
conditions. In case such orders shall be to go to China, 
you will proceed with the transport "Grant," and the 
officers and men whom she carries, to Taku, and will take 
command of the land forces of the United States in China. 
You will confer with the Admiral in command of the 
naval forces of the United States on the coast of China; 
and it is expected that the two forces will, to the fullest 
extent, co-operate and assist each other. 



178 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

The forces under your command are to be used for the 
protection of the life and property of American citizens and 
American interests in China wherever the Chinese Govern- 
ment fails to render efficient protection. You will com- 
municate with the American minister in China and in 
general observe his wishes and answer to his demands 
in regard to his protection and that of the interests which he 
represents. You will confer freely with the representatives 
of the other powers in China, which are engaged in the pro- 
tection of their citizens and interests, and wherever it shall 
appear to you that the American interests which you are to 
protect will be best subserved by that course you will act 
with the forces under your command concurrently with the 
forces of other powers. You will, however, avoid enter- 
ing into any joint action or undertaking with other powers 
tending to commit or limit this government as to its future 
course of conduct, and you will avoid taking any action 
having any object except the protection of American inter- 
ests hereinbefore charged upon you. p 

It will be recalled that when the Volunteers of the 
war with Spain were being mustered out a number of 
major generals of Volunteers were discharged and 
reappointed as brigadier generals, General Chaffee 
being one of them. The term brigadier does not have 
the significance in other armies which it has in the 
United States Army, and, in any event, the American 
troops under orders to China constituted the units of a 
division. The President therefore again appointed 
General Chaffee to the higher grade on July 19, 1900, 
his full title becoming major general of the United 
States Volunteers. 



China Relief Expedition 179 

While he was on his voyage to China the following 
characteristic letter was written to General Chaffee : 

State of New York, Executive Chamber 
Albany, July 10, 1900 
My dear General Chaffee : 

Like everyone else, I am delighted that you are to 
have charge of our destinies in China, for now I know 
that the honor of the country in that far-off land is safe. 
I only wish I were to have a regiment under you. It would 
double-discount the Vice-Presidency. 

Faithfully yours, 

Theodore Roosevelt 

While General Chaffee was on the long voyage 
across the Pacific, events were moving rapidly in 
China to make his duty upon arrival very plain. The 
Ninth Infantry from Manila arrived on the transport 
''Logan," off the Taku forts, at the moment when 
operations were about to begin against Tientsin. 
Colonel Liscum disembarked two battalions of his 
regiment, leaving the Third Battalion to bring forward 
the baggage, and marched to the camp on the German 
concession at Tientsin. On the morning of July 13, 
1900, Colonel Liscum moved at three o'clock, with his 
two battalions, to attack the south gate of the walled 
city of Tientsin in a concerted action under the direc- 
tion of General A. R. F. Dorward, British Army. 
The two battahons of the Ninth Infantry were assigned 
to a very difficult terrain in this action and lost heavily, 
among the casualties being the deeply lamented and 
gallant Colonel E. H. Liscum. 



i8o The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

General Chaffee arrived at Nagasaki on July 24, 
1900, and received these further instructions by cable: 

Adjutant General's Office 
Washington, July 19, 1900 
General Chafee 

Care Hyde, Nagasaki 

Secretary of War directs that you proceed at once 
with transport "Grant," Sixth Cavalry and marines, to 
Taku, China, and take command of American land forces, 
which will be an independent command known as the 
China Relief Expedition. You will find there the Ninth 
and Fourteenth Infantry, one battery of the Fifth Artillery, 
and one battahon of marines. ''Sumner" sailed from 
San Francisco July 17 with Second Battalion of Fifteenth 
Infantry and recruits to capacity of vessel. 

Reenforcements will follow to make your force in the 
immediate future up to 5,000 and very soon to 10,000. 
Full supplies, including heavy clothing, are on the way. 
After unloading at Taku the supplies carried by ''Grant" 
for your forces, send "Grant" immediately to Manila. 
Horses for Sixth Cavalry sailed as follows: "Leelanaw" 
from San Francisco, July i, via Honolulu for Kobe; 
"Conemaugh" from San Francisco, July i, direct to 
Kobe; "Lennox" from Portland, July 6, direct to Kobe. 
Do not wait for them, but direct that they follow you to 
Taku without delay. Manila will be your principal base. 
Arrangements have been made with the Japanese Gov- 
ernment for using Nagasaki as secondary base and 
transshipment of stores coming from this country when 
necessary. 

Immediately upon arrival at Taku, report arrival, and 
as soon as practicable thereafter cable your views of situa- 



China Relief Expedition 



I8l 



tion and supplies. Under one hundred and twenty-second 
article of war, your command will include marines on shore. 
Confer freely with admiral in command of fleet. Complete 
understanding and co-operation between the two services 
is enjoined by the President, and message to that effect has 
been sent admiral in command naval force. Reports 
now indicate that American minister with all the legation 
have been destroyed in Pekin. Chinese representative 
here, however, insists to the contrary, and there is, there- 
fore, a hope which you will not lose sight of until certainty 
is absolute. 

It is the desire of the government to maintain its 
relations of friendship with the part of Chinese people 
and Chinese officials not concerned in outrages on Ameri- 
cans. Among those we consider Li Hung Chang, just 
appointed viceroy of Chili. You will, to the extent of 
your power, aid the Government of China, or any part 
thereof, in repressing such outrages and in rescuing 
Americans, and in protecting American citizens and 
interests, and wherever Chinese Government fails to 
render such protection you will do all in your power to 
supply it. 

Confer freely with commanders of other national 
forces, act concurrently with them, and seek entire harmony 
of action along the lines of similar purpose and interest. 
There should be full and free conference as to operations 
before they are entered upon. You are at liberty to agree 
with them from time to time as to a common official direc- 
tion of the various forces in their combined operations, 
preserving, however, the integrity of your own American 
division, ready to be used as a separate and complete 
organization. Much must be left to your wise discretion 
and that of the admiral. At all times report fully and 



1 82 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

freely to this Department your wants and views. The 
President has today appointed you major general of volun- 
teers. Qualify and mail oath of office. Acknowledge. 

CORBIN 

As soon as the "Grant" had taken on board a sup- 
ply of coal General Chaffee sailed for Taku Bay, arriv- 
ing there at daylight on July 29. At eight o'clock he 
went aboard the "Brooklyn" and had a conference 
with Admiral Remey. He then went aboard the 
hospital ship "Solace" and visited the wounded from 
the battle of Tientsin. As soon as a vessel could be 
provided he went to Tongku, spending the night 
aboard the naval station ship "Monocacy." Facilities 
for unloading the ships were inadequate, but, leaving 
matters in the hands of two energetic officers, he 
hurried to Tientsin as rapidly as possible on a house- 
boat which had been captured by the navy from the 
Chinese. General Chaffee arrived at Tientsin at 
11:40 A.M. on July 30, 1900. He immediately called 
on the generals in command of troops of other nations, 
and a conference was arranged to be held on August i 
at the headquarters of Lieutenant General Linivitch. 
At this conference there were present Lieutenant 
General Linivitch, of the Russian Army; Lieutenant 
General Yamaguchi, of the Japanese Army, and his chief 
of staff. Major General Fukushima; Lieutenant General 
Gaselee, of the British Army, and his chief of staff, 
General Barrow; General Frey, of the French Army; 
Major General Chaffee, accompanied by Major Jesse 
M. Lee and a marine officer, Lieutenant Little. The 



China Relief Expedition 183 

Germans were represented by an officer of the German 
Navy. 

The purpose of the conference was to decide whether 
the armies were ready to make a movement for the 
rehef of Pekin. It was disclosed that the Japanese, 
whose forces occupied the right bank of the river in and 
about Tientsin, where also were stationed the British 
and American forces, had by numerous patrols deter- 
mined that the Chinese were in considerable force in 
the vicinity of Pei-tsang, about seven miles up the 
river from Tientsin, and that they were strengthening 
their positions by earthworks extending from the right 
bank of the river westward about three miles, and 
from the left bank of the river eastward to the railroad 
embankment. The enemy's forces were estimated 
at from ten to twelve thousand in the vicinity of Pei- 
tsang, with large bodies between that place and 
Yang-tsun, where it was reported that their main line 
of defense would be encountered. 

At the time of the capture of Tientsin the most 
positive and circumstantial accounts of the massacre 
of all the ministers and members of the legations in 
Pekin had been published and almost universally 
believed. The general view then held was that the 
duty of the allied forces was to avenge and punish, 
since any opportunity to rescue had vanished. On 
July II, however, the American Secretary of State 
had^secured, through the Chinese minister at Washing- 
ton, the forwarding of a dispatch in the State Depart- 
ment cipher to the American minister at Pekin, and 
on July 20 received through the same channels of 



184 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

communication an answer in cipher from Minister 
Conger, saying: 

For one month we have been besieged in British lega- 
tion under continued shot and shell from Chinese troops. 
Quick relief only can prevent general massacre. 

This dispatch was made the basis of urgent pres- 
sure by General Chaffee for an immediate movement 
on Pekin without awaiting the arrival of the larger 
force previously deemed essential to success. The 
first question submitted to the conference was whether 
a forward movement should be made at once, and this 
being decided in the affirmative it remained only to 
determine upon the details of operations. The rough 
weather in the bay had impeded disembarkation, 
but on August 3 the Sixth Cavalry and marines 
had gone ashore and reached Tientsin. At a further 
conference held that day a decision was reached 
that the march should begin on August 5, about 
fourteen thousand men of the allied forces being 
available. 

By arrangement of the allied commanders the civil 
government of Tientsin was furnished with a mixed 
military force, the American contingent numbering 
one hundred marines. The Sixth Cavalry, being still 
without horses, was left to assist the Tientsin garrison. 
One troop mounted was sent to join the relief column 
as soon as the horses were unloaded, and reported to 
General Chaffee on the fifth day after his departure 
from Tientsin. General Chaffee reported his decision 
and movement on Pekin to the War Department and 



China Relief Expedition 185 

relieved much of the great strain and anxiety. The 
Secretary of War addressed this note to him in reply: 

War Department 

Washington, August 10, 1900 
Dear General: 

The Lord only knows what will have happened before 
you get this letter of Corbin's, but I want to put in a word 
of congratulation and thanks for the start you have made. 
Your dispatches are most delightfully clear and your suc- 
cess thus far most gratifying. No American soldier since 
the Civil War has held a position of such responsibility 
and moment, and none was ever followed by more hopes 
and prayers among his people. We have every confidence 
in your judgment and nerve. God bless you. 

Elihu Root 



CHAPTER XXIII 
THE CAPTURE OF PEKIN 

The allied troops moved out of Tientsin during the 
afternoon and night of August 4 and bivouacked in the 
vicinity of Si-ku arsenal. At early dawn on August 5 
the Japanese moved pursuant to the plan agreed upon 
and commenced the attack at the powder house. 
They drove the Chinese from their intrenchments and, 
sweeping rapidly along both sides of the works to the 
river, left no space for the deployment of the American 
and British troops following in column. The Japanese 
commander sent messages to the American and British 
commanders, asking them to move northward. The 
British faced to the right and moved in the direction 
indicated. It was necessary for General Chaffee to 
move his command around the British force, and 
before the Americans could join the Japanese they 
had cleared the field of the enemy to the river at 
Pei-tsang and the action was practically closed. The 
American forces continued their movement and came 
upon the river about one mile north and west of Pei- 
tsang. They were now prevented from further advance 
along the river, the banks having been cut and the 
district flooded. The Russians and French encoun- 
tered similar conditions on the left bank and crossed to 
the right bank of the river. 

Being unable to march forward on the right bank, 
General Chaffee visited General Yamaguchi during the 

186 



The Capture of Pekin 187 

night and learned that the Japanese intended to 
construct bridges and continue on the right bank. 
They had already erected a pontoon bridge at Pei- 
tsang, and it was determined that the American, 
British, French, and Russian forces should cross on 
this bridge and march on Yang-tsun. General Chaffee 
began the march at four o'clock on the morning of 
August 6, proceeding along the line of the railroad, 
the Russians, British, and French crossing and moving 
along the river road. When they reached a point about 
two miles from Yang-tsun, the Chinese were discovered 
occupying a position in front of the bridge, to which 
point the railroad and river road converged. 

After consultation with Lieutenant General Gaselee, 
and at his request, General Chaffee placed the Four- 
teenth Infantry in position to attack along the west side 
of the railroad, where this regiment connected with 
the British line. General Chaffee then moved forward 
on the east side of the railroad with the Ninth Infantry, 
the marines, and Reilly's battery, deployed to conform 
with the advance of the British troops and Fourteenth 
Infantry. General Gaselee assigned a squadron of 
British cavalry to operate on General Chaffee's right 
flank. 

While the aUied forces were in the act of deploying to 
advance, the enemy opened fire on their right flank 
with artillery. Soon afterward the commander of the 
British cavalry reported that eight companies of 
Chinese infantry and three guns occupied a village 
directly on the right flank. General Chaffee directed 
a movement against it, and the enemy's guns were 



1 88 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

soon silenced and the village set on fire. While 
engaged in this attack General Chaffee received two 
urgent messages by staff officers from the British 
commander stating that the Fourteenth was suffering 
from the fire from the embankment and village being 
attacked by that regiment and the British, and request- 
ing that Reilly's battery be directed to open fire in that 
direction. 

General Chaffee was loath to do this, as his imme- 
diate command was being subjected to both artillery and 
infantry fire from other villages on his right. However, 
he went into position to assist the operations of those on 
the other side of the embankment. Reilly's battery 
had unlimbered and was about to fire when General 
Chaffee observed men of the Fourteenth mounting 
the embankment in the line of fire and ordered Captain 
Reilly not to open with his guns. Immediately there- 
after Reilly's battery was fired upon by Chinese secreted 
in the corn fields within short range. The battery 
replied with shrapnel and, aided by the marines, soon 
dispersed this opposing force. The Ninth Infantry 
coming up on the right of Reilly's battery mistook the 
Chinese flag for that of the French and lost an oppor- 
tunity to inflict serious damage on the Chinese troops. 

Several messages had been received from the Rus- 
sians requesting that care be exercised not to fire 
on the Russian and French troops which were advan- 
cing on Yang-tsun and would turn in their march 
toward the American front. As a matter of fact, 
neither the Russian nor the French troops were at any 
time in advance of the American and British lines. 



The Capture of Pekin 189 

The Fourteenth Infantry, supported on its left by 
British troops, assaulted the position of the Chinese 
and carried it. After the position was in possession of 
the Fourteenth Infantry and some of the British who 
had mingled with the American troops in the con- 
tracted area over which they had advanced, they 
were opened on by British and Russian batteries and 
suffered severely at the hands of their allies. The 
losses of the Fourteenth in this action were seven 
killed and fifty-seven wounded. General Chaffee 
estimated that at least half the loss was due to the 
mistake of the allies in firing on the American troops. 
It will be remembered that General Chaffee himself 
had been wounded during the Civil War when through 
a mistake his regiment was fired on by the Harris 
Light Cavalry, a part of the command to which he 
belonged. 

General Chaffee continued his advance northward 
through the villages lying to the east of Yang-tsun 
until all opposition was overcome. The troops were 
then assembled at the railroad bridge. The move- 
ments had all been carried out in excessively hot 
weather. The men suffered greatly from want of water, 
and many were prostrated by the heat, two of them 
dying on the field. The troops remained at Yang-tsun 
on August 7, burying the dead and arranging the 
transfer of the wounded by boat to Tientsin. 

In the conference at Tientsin it had been agreed that 
the first step of the advance on Pekin should terminate 
at Yang-tsun. During the forenoon of August 7 a 
further conference was held at the headquarters of the 



190 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

Russian commander, at which it was decided to resume 
the forward movement next day and continue the 
advance to Tung-chau, where final plans would be 
agreed upon for the attack on Pekin. 

The position in the column of march held by the 
Americans prevented their movement at an early hour. 
Marching in the heat of the day, many of the American 
soldiers were prostrated and remained by the road- 
side, usually getting forward to their commands during 
the night. Very little opposition was encountered, 
and on August 12 all the allied commands arrived 
at Tung-chau, which had been evacuated by the 
Chinese. After reaching this point the Russian com- 
mander sent a note expressing the opinion that the 
troops should be given a day of rest before proceeding. 
This did not meet the views of the other commanders, 
who assembled at the Russian headquarters and advised 
a forward movement to take place the next day. The 
Russian commander stated that he must rest his troops 
and could not move on the following day. Time was 
all-important, for the lives of the besieged foreigners 
in Pekin were hanging in the balance. It was finally 
agreed that the following day, August 13, should be 
devoted to reconnaissance and that on August 14 the 
allied forces should be concentrated at the advance 
line held by the Japanese. 

Pursuant to the agreement, General Chaffee, on the 
morning of August 13, reconnoitered the road assigned 
to the Americans, with M Troop, Sixth Cavalry, 
Reilly's battery, and the Fourteenth Infantry, up to 
a point about seven miles from Tung-chau. Meeting 



The Capture of Pekin 191 

no opposition, General Chaffee brought forward the 
remainder of his command during the night. The 
reconnaissance was similarly carried out by the British 
and Japanese troops. The Russians did not play the 
game as allies. Notwithstanding the alleged need for 
rest, the Russian commander moved his command dur- 
ing the night on the road assigned for reconnaissance, 
straight for Pekin, and attacked the Tung-pien-men 
gate of the city, where the Chinese wall joins the 
Tatar wall. Artillery and small-arms firing continued 
throughout the night. General Chaffee believed the 
firing to be due to a final effort of the Boxers to destroy 
the legations. 

At daylight on August 14 a Japanese staff officer 
came to inquire of General Chaffee as to the where- 
abouts of the Russians. General Chaffee believed them 
to have remained at Tung-chau, but was assured by 
the Japanese officer that they were not on the opposite 
side of the canal. The British troops remained at 
Tung-chau until the morning of August 14, con- 
formable to the agreement that the concentration on 
the line seven miles from that town should take place 
on that day. General Chaffee had made no prepara- 
tions to advance beyond the line agreed upon except a 
reconnaissance by a troop of cavalry, which moved 
forward at 5 : 00 a.m., leaving equipage in camp. Soon 
after the departure of the cavalry a column of about 
two hundred French troops passed on the road, follow- 
ing the cavalry, the commander of which informed 
General Chaffee that he was marching to join the 
Russian force. General Chaffee replied that there were 



192 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

no troops in front, but the French commander had 
been operating with the Russians and knew the con- 
trary to be true. 

About an hour after the cavalry reconnaissance had 
begun a message was brought back that the cavahy 
was engaged with the enemy. General Chaffee moved 
forward with a battalion of the Fourteenth Infantry 
to its support, and brushed aside the Chinese who were 
firing from villages on both sides of the road. By this 
time, about 10:00 a.m., General Chaffee had become 
aware of the action of the Russians and could hear 
firing from the direction of the area occupied by the 
Japanese. He sent back orders for the American 
troops to move forward and join the advance force, 
which continued its march to the wall of the Chinese 
city. This was scaled at 11 :oo a.m. by two companies 
of the Fourteenth Infantry, which unfurled the flag of 
that regiment, the first foreign colors unfurled upon the 
walls of Pekin. The two companies on the wall, with 
the assistance of the troops facing the wall, drove 
the Chinese troops from the corner to the east gate of 
the Chinese city, where the British entered without 
opposition later in the day. 

The Russians had battered open the Tung-pien-men 
gate during the night and had effected an entrance 
there, but had their guns facing both ways and were 
in confusion when General Chaffee arrived at the 
gate with Reilly's battery and part of the Fourteenth 
Infantry. These two organizations gained entrance 
by tearing down a wall to the left, and then by enfilade 
fire of shrapnel and rifle fire cleared the wall westward 




UNITED STATES INFANTRY MOVING UP TO THE GATE, PEKIN 




AMERICAN ARTILLERY IN ACTION AGAINST THE GATE TO THE 
FORBIDDEN CITY 



The Capture of Pekin 193 

to the Hait-men gate. The Ninth Infantry was di- 
rected to follow the movement to the Chienmen gate 
of the Tatar city. By 3 : 00 p.m. the American advance 
had arrived opposite the legations, the fire of the 
Chinese having practically ceased. In recognition of 
its gallantry at Yang-tsun and during the attack on 
Pekin, the P^ourteenth Infantry was directed to lead 
the way and entered the legation grounds. 

Having communicated with the American minister, 
Mr. Conger, General Chaffee withdrew the troops from 
the legation and camped near the Tatar wall for the 
night. The work, however, was not 3^et over. The 
minister conveyed the information that a portion of 
the Imperial City directly in front of the Chienmen gate 
had been used by Chinese to fire on the legations, and 
General Chaffee determined to drive the Chinese troops 
from that position and made his plans accordingly. 

On the morning of August 1 5 General Chaffee placed 
four guns of Reilly's battery on the Tatar wall at the 
Chienmen gate and swept the walls westward to the 
next gate. At about 8 : 00 a.m. the Chinese opened fire 
on General Chaffee's force at the Chienmen gate from 
the second gate of the Imperial City north of the 
Chienmen gate. General Chaffee directed an attack 
on the first gate, and in a short time a platoon of 
Reilley's battery under Lieutenant Summerall had 
battered an opening through which the infantry entered. 
They immediately came under a severe fire from the 
next gate, about six hundred yards distant. Fire 
was directed upon the second gate by the battery and 
such of the infantry as could be used effectively on the 



194 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

Tatar wall and side walls of the Imperial City. In the 
course of half an hour the Chinese fire had been silenced, 
and Colonel Daggett led his regiment, the Fourteenth 
Infantry, forward to the second gate. The same course 
was pursued with four gates, the Chinese troops being 
driven from each gate in succession, the fourth gate 
being near the palace grounds. 

During the attack upon the gates Captain H. J. 
Reilly, the battery commander, standing at General 
Chaffee's left elbow, watching the effect of the fire from 
one of his guns, was shot in the mouth and killed. 

When all opposition of the enemy had been over- 
come, a conference was held, at which the allied com- 
manders decided not to occupy the Imperial City. 
General Chaffee then withdrew his troops to the camp 
occupied the previous night, but retained the position 
held on the Tatar wall at the Chienmen gate. The 
decision of the generals not to occupy the Imperial City 
was not concurred in by the ministers at a conference 
held by them. In consequence the imperial grounds 
were immediately reoccupied, the Americans resuming 
the position held at the conclusion of the fighting. 

General Chaffee found time, when the fighting was 
apparently all over, to send this modest announcement 
by cable: 

Pekin, August 15 
Adjutant General 

Washington 
We entered Legation's grounds at five o'clock last night 
with Fourteenth and Light Battery. Eight wounded dur- 
ing day's fighting; otherwise all well. Chaffee 



The Capture of Pekin 195 

Nothing of vainglory to be found there, nor in the 

next cable message, which followed at the close of the 

fighting on the same day: 

Pekin, August 15 
Adjutant General 

Washington 
Legation relieved last night. Purpose of expedition 
being accompHshed, what is the further wish of govern- 
ment as regards use of troops ? No more will be required 
as a relief force. Apprehend considerable difficulty supply- 
ing large force during winter about Pekin. The railway 
must be rebuilt if we stop here. Cannot get satisfac- 
tory answer about the matter yet. Suggest withdrawal 
of United States troops soon as practicable from China. 
Under present circumstances request full instructions for 
my future guidance and as basis for preparation of supplies. 
Henry J. Reilly, Captain Fifth Artillery, killed 9 this 
morning. Chaffee 

Before his dispatches, which had to go over a long 
and much-relayed cable route, were acknowledged 
he viewed conditions in a somewhat different light, and 
the result was communicated in the following message : 

Pekin, August 18 
Adjutant General 

Washington 
Conference today decided absolutely necessary to main- 
tain troops in Pekin for winter; that railway be repaired at 
once; that this matter should be immediately reported to 
Governments interested by military commanders. The 
Russian commander will not push the work single-handed, 
and proposes that each nation repair a section of the road as 



196 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

a military measure. Could not consent to this, having no 
material or means to obtain any. Much trouble to keep 
telegraph working; cut frequently. Chaffee 

The policy under which the American government 
was acting was announced in this form : 

Adjutant General's Office 
Washington, August 23, 1900 
General Chaffee 

Commanding United States Forces 
Pekin via Taku 

Your dispatch of August 15 received. Secretary of 
War directs me to say no more troops will be sent you. 
Those under way will be ordered to Manila, leaving you 
about 5,000 effectives, including marines. 

Following statement of American policy was commu- 
nicated to all the powers by circular letter July 3 : 

"The purpose of the President is to act concurrently 
with the other powers: First, in opening up communica- 
tion and rescuing the American officials, missionaries, 
and other Americans who are in danger; secondly, in 
affording all possible protection everywhere in China to 
American life and property; thirdly, in guarding and pro- 
tecting all legitimate American interests; and fourthly, in 
aiding to prevent a spread of the disorders to the other 
provinces of the Empire and a recurrence of such disasters. 
It is, of course, too early to forecast the means of attain- 
ing this last result ; but the policy of the Government of the 
United States is to seek a solution which may bring about 
permanent safety and peace to China, preserve Chinese 
territorial and administrative entity, protect all rights 
guaranteed to friendly powers by treaty and international 



The Capture of Pekin 197 

law, and safeguard for the world the principle of equal and 
impartial trade with all parts of the Chinese Empire." 

We desire to withdraw all troops from China as soon as 
practicable, but attainment of ends specified requires that 
occupation of Pekin should continue for the present, and 
that you should with the troops under your command do 
your share toward maintaining the status quo and preserving 
order. We wish no aggressive action unless that be neces- 
sary for defensive purposes. We have no report yet of 
arrangements for bringing inmates of legation to the coast. 
It seems as if this should be done as promptly as consistent 
with safety to all women, children, and men not charged 
with ofiicial duties and in fit condition to perform them, 
but whether this ought to be done you and Conger can best 
judge. Give us timely notice to provide transportation for 
them from Taku to Japan or this country. Li Hung Chang, 
as plenipotentiary of China, now asks cessation of hostihties 
and appointment of envoy to conduct negotiations. 

We have answered as follows: 

"While the condition set forth in the memorandum 
delivered to the Chinese minister August 12 has not been 
fulfilled, and the powers have been compelled to rescue 
their ministers by force of arms, unaided by the Chinese 
Government, still this Government is ready to welcome 
any overtures for a truce and invite the other powers to 
join when security is estabhshed in the Chinese capital, and 
the Chinese Government shows its abihty and willingness 
to make on its part an effective suspension of hostihties 
there and elsewhere in China. When this is done, and we 
hope it will be done promptly, the United States will be 
prepared to appoint a representative to join with the 
representatives of the other similarly interested powers and 
of the authoritative and responsible Government of the 



198 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Chinese Empire to attain the ends declared in our circular 
to the powers of July 3, 1900." 

Show this to Conger. Corbin 

From the day on which he had received his instruc- 
tions to start on the long journey, nearly half around 
the world, to rescue the besieged legation from its peril- 
ous plight, General Chaffee had concentrated his mind 
solely upon the accomplishment of that purpose. 
The object achieved, he turned his attention to the 
solution of the many unfamiliar problems of the Orient, 
rendered doubly complicated by the entire absence of 
established civil government. Nevertheless, it was 
with genuine pride that he announced to the men who 
had followed and fought with him on the grueling 
march from Tientsin the words of gratitude and praise 
which now came to him as the commander of the China 
Relief Expedition. The American minister wrote to 
General Chaffee: 

From the moment of the arrival of the allied relief 
column we have all tried personally to express our joy and 
gratitude for your timely coming. I am not satisfied, 
however, with this mere verbal acknowledgment. The 
patriotic purpose with which you hurried more than half 
around the world, the heroic courage displayed, and the 
tremendous sacrifices made in your victorious march from 
Tientsin to Pekin deserve a more fervent expression of our 
sincere appreciation and profound gratitude than can ever 
be given. But, dear general, I beg you, on behalf of all 
whom you saved, to accept for yourself, and to extend in 
large measure to the brave men who came with you, the 
sincerest thanks that grateful hearts can feel. We deeply 



The Capture of Pekin 199 

deplore the loss of the splendid heroes who died that we 
might Hve, and our tenderest sympathies go out to the 
bleeding hearts never to be solaced by their return. We 
pray God to comfort them and to reward and bless you 
one and all. 

The nation's rejoicing because of the relief of the 
besieged legations was communicated to the American 
minister by President McKinley : 

The whole American people rejoice over your deliver- 
ance, over the safety of your companions, of our own and 
of the other nations which have shared your trials and 
privations, the fortitude and courage which you have all 
maintained, and the heroism of your httle band of defenders. 
We all mourn for those who have fallen, and acknowledge 
the goodness of God, which has preserved you and guided 
the brave army that set you free. 

Nothing in his official life gave the Secretary of 
War more satisfaction than the knowledge that General 
Chaffee had achieved the object of the expedition. 
He had selected him as the commander of the expedi- 
tion solely because of his incomparable military record, 
and it was with sincere pleasure that he indited this 
message to him : 

The President joins me in congratulations to you and 
the officers and men of your command on the briUiant 
achievement in which the courage, fortitude, and skill 
of the American forces in China have played so honorable 
a part. While mourning for your fallen comrades, the 
whole country is proud and grateful for your great success. 



200 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

The nation had waited in a state of feverish anxiety 
the result of the race of the aUied columns with death. 
When the message announcing the relief of the besieged 
legations was received, a wave of deepest satisfaction 
and pride in the achievements of General Chaffee and 
his command surged through the hearts of the American 
people. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

ALLIES ASSUME CONTROL IN PEKIN 

In an effort to burn out the Europeans all the 
buildings to the west of the American legation had 
been destroyed by the Boxers. They had ruthlessly 
apphed the torch to every building in which Chinese 
merchants sold any kind of foreign goods. So numer- 
ous were the fires that they soon got beyond control, 
and the rich commercial portion of the Chinese city was 
almost entirely ruined. The sanitary conditions were 
indescribable. Unburied bodies, carcasses of animals, 
stagnant pools, and all that goes to make war horrible 
were in evidence on every hand. When the legation 
was entered, all the signs of a long and trying siege 
were visible. Many of the legations were in ruins. 
The American legation remained and was occupied, 
but every^vhere bore the scars of shot and shell. The 
children, white and wan from lack of proper nourish- 
ment, presented a pitiable sight. The legation had 
been reduced to a very limited diet, composed in the 
main of a small piece of horse or mule meat daily to 
each individual, all of whom were endeavoring to 
sustain life at the last only in the knowledge that 
General Chaffee and his brave soldiers were fighting 
their way to Pekin with the allied columns. 

At a conference of the allied commanders on the 
afternoon of August i6 an agreement was reached 
for taking over the captured city of Pekin and the 



202 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

restoration and preservation of order. The territory 
was divided into sections and placed under control of 
the various allied forces. The American troops were 
assigned to the west half of the Chinese city and to that 
section of the Tatar city lying between the Chienmen 
gate and Shunchin gate of the south wall of the Tatar 
city, and north to the east and west street through the 
Tatar city, being bounded upon the east by the wall 
of the Imperial City. 

The Chinese are a credulous and superstitious 
people. As long as there had been no demonstration 
of the complete fall of the Imperial City they might 
consider that the occupation had been prevented by 
the interposition of the gods. A conference of the 
ministers and allied commanders was held on August 25, 
when the question of a formal entry into the Forbidden 
City was determined upon by a vote of the allied 
commanders, all of the Europeans voting in the 
affirmative. The American and Japanese commanders 
voted in the negative. In making a note of this action 
General Chaffee wrote : 

I opposed the performance as one based on curiosity 
merely and not one of military or political necessity, but 
was overruled. The city of Peking has been sacked; 
looted from corner to corner in the most disgraceful 
manner imaginable; such is my opinion. I had no idea 
that civilized armies would resort to such proceedings. It 
is a race for spoil. I have kept my own command fairly 
clean, thank God, but with all my efforts it is not spotless. 
It is only once in a lifetime, I can imagine, that one witnesses 
the march of foreign armies through the Heathen's reserva- 




AMERICAN BATTERY IN ACTION AGAINST PEKIN 




AMERICAN TROOPS ENTERING THE FORBIDDEN CITY 



Allies Assume Control in Pekin 203 

tion. It requires but one example of the sort I have 
witnessed to convince one that every nation's hand is 
against the Chinese Empire — innocent and guilty. The 
United States alone, of all the powers, may not wish to see 
the Chinese Empire destroyed, but she will not be able to 
stay the march of events. 

The question of precedence — as to who should lead 
the entry — was discussed with some warmth. Prece- 
dence was desired by the Japanese for the very good 
reasons that they had the largest force and had done 
the greater proportion of the work. The Russians 
claimed first place because they were first in the city. 
Thereupon General Chaffee took occasion to remind 
the Russian commander that he was first at the gate 
because he had violated an explicit agreement not 
to start on the last day's march against Pekin until 
8:00 A.M. by advancing secretly at ten o'clock the 
night before, and that even then the Russians were 
stalled at the gate until the Americans pushed forward 
and passed them. In view of his seniority it was 
finally arranged that General Linivitch should lead the 
column, which comprised eight hundred Russians, 
eight hundred Japanese, four hundred English, four 
hundred Americans, four hundred French, two hundred 
and fifty Germans, sixty Austrians, and sixty Italians. 
The spectators were limited to a few reporters and 
photographers. No Christian had ever been permitted 
to enter the sacred precincts of the Forbidden City, and 
the procession of representatives of the foreign armies 
rent asunder the veil of mystery with which the Chinese 
had surrounded it. 



204 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

As has been said, in the attack on Pekin General 
Chaffee's forces entered on the eastern side and, after 
battering open the gates of three walls in succession, 
had arrived at the wall of the Imperial Palace. In 
a few minutes more the gate of the Forbidden City 
would have been blown down by the guns of Reilly's 
battery, but the allied generals called a conference and 
operations were suspended to the great chagrin of the 
American troops, who not only were despoiled of the 
honor, but were compelled to withdraw under fire 
from the advanced position won by them. It was 
agreed that guards should be stationed at the gates and 
that the Imperial City should not be occupied. The 
agreement was violated by the Russians, whose 
commander could not be relied upon to keep faith. 
Duplicity and sharp practice are not uncommon in 
the history of diplomacy. The Russian commander 
seemed to mistake resourceful cunning for cleverness. 
After one or two experiences with his military diplo- 
macy General Chaffee lost faith and trusted no agree- 
ment thereafter. It was essential that no open rupture 
should occur among the allied commanders, and 
General Chaffee managed to bear his disappointments 
with more equanimity than might have been expected 
of one of his character and temperament. 

While the powers were exchanging views concern- 
ing the best plan for united action of the allied troops, 
the Emperor of Germany offered to place at the dis- 
posal of the other governments concerned Field Marshal 
Count von Waldersee, who might be, in the capacity of 
commander-in-chief, intrusted with the direction of the 



Allies Assume Control in Pekin 205 

operations of the international forces concentrated in 
China in the Pekin region. 

The ojEhcial Russian memorandum in reply stated: 

His Majesty the Emperor, animated with the desire that 
the compKcations which have arisen in the Far East be 
settled as soon as possible, replied that, on his part, he saw 
no objection to accepting the proposition of Emperor 
William, considering that, since considerable international 
forces are concentrated on Chinese territory, unity of 
action becomes necessary as the essential condition of a 
successful * completion of their task; also, that the high 
station of Count Waldersee, in his capacity of Field 
Marshal, confers upon him a paramount right to the direc- 
tion of the operations of the various detachments called 
upon to co-operate in the same common object, and finally 
that considerations of a moral order, which may, in the 
present case, have inspired Germany, whose representative 
was heinously murdered at Peking, justify her in her desire 
to take the lead of the international forces operating against 
Chinese insurgents. 

It must be borne in mind, however, that by consenting 
to place the Russian detachment under the common to all 
and supreme command of the German Field Marshal, His 
Majesty the Emperor does not intend to depart in any 
manner from the poHtical programme upon whose funda- 
mental principles a complete agreement has been reached 
with France, as well as with the other powers. Russia 
is seeking no selfish end; she only aims at a general paci- 
fication and at restoring as promptly as possible relations 
of good neighborHness with China, and she remains true 
to her historical traditions. Should more decisive mihtary 
action become necessary by reason of the continuance of 



2o6 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

disturbances in the Chinese Empire, she would not forsake 
the humane principles that have at all times been the pride 
of the Russian army. 

Count von Waldersee was the chief assistant of 
Count von Moltke, who was at the head of the great 
General Staff of Germany. Upon the death of von 
Moltke, Count von Waldersee was assigned to com- 
mand the Ninth Army Corps, At the time of his 
selection for the Chinese command he was one of five 
army inspectors with the rank of general field marshal. 
He had for years been looked upon as the man who 
would take charge in case Germany should become 
involved in a European war. At the time of his 
Pekin assignment he was sixty-eight years old, thin, 
active, and a hard rider. 

Japan and all the European nations represented by 
troops in China consented to Count von Waldersee 's 
assignment to the command with direction of the allied 
forces. The question was then broached to the Amer- 
ican government and the views of General Chaffee 
were asked for : 

General Chaffee: Washington, August 7, 1900 

State Department is advised by Berlin Embassy that 
Russia is willing to put Russian troops in China under 
Field Marshal Waldersee as commander-in-chief, and 
Japan also prefers Waldersee. German government asks 
views of United States as to chief command, and in which 
way it would be inclined to join American forces in China 
to army operating under Waldersee. Your views desired 
soon as possible. Root 

Secretary of War 



Allies Assume Control in Pekin 207 

The idea of joining forces for further operations in 
China did not appeal to General Chaffee. After Pekin 
had been captured all the regular Chinese troops had 
been withdrawn out of reach and took no further part 
against the allies. General Chaffee communicated his 
objections to further operations: 

Pekin, August 22, 1900 
Adjutant General 

Washington 
Do not advise United States place its forces under chief 
command Count Waldersee. Suggest withdrawal of United 
States troops soon as practicable from China. 

Chjvffee 

General Chaffee amplified his views later : 

Pekin, August 29, 1900 
Adjutant General 

Washington 
Military object accomplished, my opinion our troops 
should withdraw from China if possible to permit. Supply 
of the army during winter will be difficult, but the most 
serious aspect of the situation is the terrible suffering of the 
million people in Pekin and other millions about because 
of destruction of property and almost annihilation of com- 
merce, trade, and business in every form. The presence of 
the army for six months or more will aggravate in the worst 
manner the woeful situation growing worse each day. In 
short time food supply will be exhausted Pekin. Popula- 
tion idle and hungry now. No government forage in the 
city; more than thirty thousand troops. Chaos and 
starvation inevitable throughout all the section have seen, 
if army remains. Conditions Tientsin no better Pekin. 



2o8 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Hostilities certain to be resumed and make difficult for 
Chinese authorities to control situation if army remains. 
Japanese and English military commanders think with me 
that troops should be withdrawn, but they are without 
instructions from home. Seriousness of the situation more 
apparent each day to all the military commanders, and 
prompt decision whether or not armies are to remain 
during the winter very important. Some prospect Prince 
Ching, uncle of Emperor, may come here in about a week 
with power to act. Minister Conger thinks negotiations 
should be hastened so that troops may be withdrawn 
before winter. Regards the outlook as most serious and 
only source of relief withdrawal of army or at least reduc- 
tion to reasonable guard for legation if they remain. This 
is the general situation, but submitted with special refer- 
ence to instructions respecting United States troops under 
my command. Have supplies Tongku and Tientsin to last 
to October first. Chaffee 

The Chinese government had abandoned Pekin 
before the entry of the allied troops into the city. The 
primary object of the expedition, the relief of the 
besieged legations, having been accomplished, it had 
been expected that the Chinese government would 
resume control and that the Boxer revolution would 
terminate. General Chaffee communicated his views 
in this dispatch: 

Pekin, September 4, 1900 
Adjutant General 

Washington 
Evidence accumulates diplomatic relations will not be 
resumed here for long time. Russian legation leave very 



Allies Assume Control in Pekin 209 

soon for Tientsin. Appears to me certain Chinese 
government will not return here whilst foreign army 
remains, and if this true our legation transact no busi- 
ness. My opinion Pekin to be merely camp foreign 
army pending settlement by powers at other points. 

Chaffee 

The Boxers had withdrawn from the immediate 
vicinity and were no longer aggressive beyond firing on 
scouting and foraging parties. The American troops 
took part in numerous expeditions to break up the 
bands of Boxers, but it was fully recognized that 
neither the insurgents nor the Chinese Imperial 
troops were in any condition for operations against the 
invading troops of the allies. The American govern- 
ment finally decided to countermand all orders for the 
additional troops which had been directed to join 
General Chaffee's command, and approved his recom- 
mendation for a legation guard to include two regiments 
of infantry, the Ninth and Fourteenth, the Third 
Squadron, Sixth Cavalry, and Reilly's battery, all of 
which had rendered splendid service during the active 
operations in China. 

When Count von Waldersee arrived in China, the 
allied commanders, under instructions from their 
respective governments, reported their troops to him. 
General Chaffee was opposed to reporting the American 
troops, and his views had been approved. Before 
proceeding from Tientsin to Pekin Count von Walder- 
see organized a combined movement of troops from the 
garrisons of Pekin and Tientsin. In reporting his 



2IO The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

refusal to participate in the operations General Chaffee 
sent the following dispatch : 

A J. , ^ r- 1 Pekin, October 4, looo 

Adjutant Generat ^ 

Washington 

Expedition about 4,000 strong leaves here for Pao- 
ting-fu today; co-operating force about 7,000 from Tientsin; 
ordered by Field Marshal Waldersee ; purpose of movement 
not apparent; certainly not defensive proposition in my 
opinion.^ United States troops will not participate in 
movement. Japanese troops from here probably move 
with Tientsin column, as Japanese minister is opposed to 
movement as being contrary instructions his government. 
Result is likely to postpone, for considerable time, arriving 
at condition for negotiation with Chinese representatives. 
My opinion to cause delay of negotiation is real object 
of expedition to Pao-ting-fu, although it is reported that 
there are three Belgian engineers in danger at Cheng- 
ting-fu, which is fifty miles south of Pao-ting-fu. Two 
American officers accompany expedition. There is uncon- 
firmed report that Li Hung Chang has ordered Chinese 
troops to withdraw from Pao-ting-fu, if any foreign troops 
approach place. Have not heard of any hostile Chinese 
movement or force of consequence for a month. All such 
reported have been found on examination to amount to 
practically nothing. Occasional shots are fired, if not 

' The following extract from Dawson, Oul of Their Own Mouths (Apple- 
ton & Co.), page 4, is of interest in this connection: "You know very well 
that you are to fight against the cunning, brave, well-armed and terrible 
enemy. If you come to grips with him be assured quarter will not be given, 
no prisoners will be taken. Use your weapons in such a way that for a 
thousand years no Chinese shall dare to look upon a German askance." 
Speech made by William II to the German Expeditionary Force, July 27, 
1900. 



Allies Assume Control in Pekin 211 

at, to frighten foraging parties of two or three men by 
villagers. Do not hear of soldiers being killed or wounded 
by these real or supposed Boxers. Order has gradually 
improved along our Hne communication since indiscriminate 
firing by troops has been stopped. In Pekin Chinese are 
very orderly; returning to business where protected, 
notably in Japanese and American section. Under my 
instructions August 23, I cannot take part in any move- 
ment which, in my judgment, has tendency to promote 
rather than allay hostilities and unquiet in surrounding 
country. Have not placed my force under orders of field 
marshal for reason that from my instructions United 
States does not wish its troops to engage in offensive work. 
Li Hung Chang arrived Pekin yesterday; he calls on me 

this afternoon. „ 

Chaffee 

Upon receipt of the message in Washington General 
Chaffee was immediately informed that his entire 
course of action was fully approved by the Secretary 
of War. 

The arrival of Field Marshal von Waldersee at 
Pekin was expected, and General von Hoepfner had 
several conferences with the allied commanders, with a 
view to arranging the ceremonies contemplated at his 
reception by the troops. It was finally decided to have 
a cavalry squadron meet Count von Waldersee outside 
of the city and escort him through lines of troops from 
the Hait-men to the Emperor's Winter Palace, where 
the march should take place. In his notes of the cere- 
mony one of General Chaffee's staff wrote : 

On October 17, 1900, at 11 :30 a.m. the boom of cannon 
announced the arrival of the Commander-in-Chief. At 



212 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

the Winter Palace the selected companies constituting the 
guard of honor executed a march past in column of fours. 
The Germans were all picked men, accurately sized, and 
executed an unusually high parade step, their knees going 
up as high as their elbows and their hobnailed boots coming 
down on the pavement with a whack. The march of the 
Americans at "port arms" without any ostentation was 
finely done, and made a good impression. The English and 
Japanese also did well. The French were a little better 
than usual; the Italians were disgraceful. It was a great 
opportunity to make notes of all the different kinds of 
uniforms. The Field Marshal looked well in his uniform 
of the Prussian Uhlans. 

On December ii, 1900, General Chaffee wrote: 

We have settled down to almost a dreary, monotonous 
life, pending operations of the ministers in their diplomatic 
fashion, which seems slow, but may not be after all. The 
subject is no doubt a weighty one when considered from all 
the points of view which can be, and no doubt will be, 
presented by eight or ten gentlemen when discussing 
the matter together. It must be a difficult matter to keep 
in the "middle of the road," when, as I fancy, there are 
several who wish to travel both sides as well, in order that 
nothing may escape. I have often thought that strict 
justice is not all that some have in view, but I may be 
mistaken. Poor, foolish old China will find her account a 
big one, and that foolishness costs dearly sometimes. 



CHAPTER XXV 
WINTER QUARTERS IN PEKIN 

As the American troops were never placed under 
the control of Field Marshal von Waldersee, General 
Chaffee did not personally participate in any of the 
punitive expeditions sent out from Pekin and Tientsin. 
He established his headquarters in the Temple of 
Agriculture. This temple consisted of a number of 
detached buildings, more or less pretentious and 
elaborately decorated in the best Chinese temple style. 
The buildings stood in a vast park, wherein grew mag- 
nificent cedar trees unequaled outside of China and to 
be found there only in places under the special pro- 
tection of the government. To make the temple 
buildings meet military needs certain alterations had 
to be made. These alterations were limited to ceilings 
and partitions, readily removed, which did not injure 
the buildings or their approaches in any way. 

Upon the occupation of Pekin by the allied forces 
it was found that the Chinese officials had left the city. 
No form of Chinese civil government remained. The 
city was at once divided into a number of administra- 
tive districts, and to each of the allied forces was 
assigned one district. Most of the civilian population 
had fled . Valuable property was left in palaces , homes , 
and shops. The troops of some of the powers looted 
officially; others without ofi&cial authority, but with 
equal facility. Chinese thieves operated industriously. 

213 



214 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

General Chaffee's orders against looting and cruelty 
to the Chinese were positive and admitted of no misun- 
derstanding. Conditions, however, tended to demor- 
alization, and individuals belonging to the American 
forces did some looting, A sudden and minute inspec- 
tion by the officers revealed a quantity of loot in the 
camps of the American troops. Wherever possible 
the property was restored to the owners; that not so 
disposed of was burned in the presence of the looters. 

On August 26 two native Indian soldiers — sikhs — 
engaged in looting were discovered by an American 
patrol. They were ordered to halt, but sought refuge 
across the line of their own district and opened fire on 
the patrol. Two shots were fired in return, and both 
looters were killed. The members of the patrol were 
commended for their marksmanship and exonerated by 
a court martial; the good effect on the situation was 
marked. The measures of the American commander 
made it very clear that he intended that his men should 
protect the property and persons of the Chinese. His 
suppression of looting and the kind treatment accorded 
the Chinese brought about a return of confidence and 
the resumption of business in the American section long 
before it was resumed elsewhere, except in the portion 
of the city controlled by the Japanese. 

At the time when the original division of the city 
was made no German forces were present. Upon their 
arrival, a few weeks later, a new partition of the city 
was made and an area carved out and turned over 
for policing and administration by the German troops. 
The area taken over by them embraced the Chinese 



Winter Quarters in Pekin 215 

Astronomical Observatory. With scientific precision 
the ancient astronomical instruments were dismantled 
and prepared for shipment to Germany as trophies. 
The instruments were of bronze, of curious design but 
of doubtful utility. Their chief value was that of 
curios. That this ancient observatory should be 
despoiled caused General Chaffee much indignation, 
which he expressed with so much more force than 
diplomacy, in a letter to Count von Waldersee, that 
a serious rupture of friendly relations with the German 
headquarters was threatened for a time. The instru- 
ments were shipped to Germany, but the indignation 
raised by General Chaffee's protest had much influence 
in causing their return to China. 

Out of the government of the so-called American 
section of Pekin many difficult problems arose, in the 
solution of which General Chafi'ee habitually brought 
to bear equity rather than law. He endeavored to 
secure justice to individuals rather than to construct 
a judicial system. After a time the confidence of the 
Chinese in the security of life and property returned 
to such an extent that conditions again approached 
the normal state of affairs. Chinese policemen were 
then employed, and the Chinese courts were re- 
established for the trial, under the Chinese laws and 
customs, of all cases arising between Chinese, the 
allied commanders reserving to themselves only the 
power of final action in capital cases. 

In all sections of the city except that under the 
administration of the Americans executions became 
a common occurrence. General Chaffee, however, 



2i6 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

steadfastly declined to approve the death sentences 
imposed upon criminals. While willing to use the fire 
action of his command against the Chinese in the most 
effective manner in battle, as a civil administrator he 
hesitated to sign a death warrant. His leniency soon 
caused criminals to seek refuge in the American section. 
A party of Chinese robbers made a bold attack with 
swords upon an old man and his daughter, and were 
captured by the American guard. After long and 
serious consideration General Chaffee approved the 
death warrants. The offenders were beheaded on the 
following day, this action serving effectually to halt 
the wave of crime which had been making headway 
in the American section. 

A vast amount of public property was captured 
by the invading columns of the allies. That portion 
which came under American control included about 
thirty million dollars of bullion and hundreds of tons 
of rice in the Imperial granaries. A considerable 
quantity of rice was used to relieve hunger among the 
poor and needy, the remainder and all the bullion which 
had been held intact being delivered to the Chinese 
authorities upon the restoration of the Imperial 
government in Pekin. 

Delay in reaching a decision as to the further 
retention of General Chaffee and his command in China 
was very embarrassing as winter approached, and the 
date of freezing of the river Pei-ho was problematical. 
Wlien the danger point was reached. General Chaffee 
felt constrained to ignore his instructions to hold his 
supplies at Tientsin and Taku awaiting a decision. 



Winter Quarters in Pekin 217 

He assembled a fleet of junks and rushed the needed 
stores to Pekin before ice closed the river. He knew 
that his instructions had been given during a parley of 
the diplomats on the other side of the world and that 
probably the urgency of the situation had been for- 
gotten while the icy winter was forging the chains to 
cripple and starve his command. He therefore acted 
according to the dictates of his own wise judgment. 

During the winter in Pekin General Chaffee spent 
much of each day in riding horseback. In one of his 
letters he wrote: 

Today I rode to the Lama Temple, where we saw the 
great wooden god seventy feet high and other wooden gods 
large and small. The priests are a sorry looking lot; 
unlike the Chinese generally, the hair is cut short. The 
temple is a place that may interest one to visit once — never 
a second time. This I can say for all the temples here, so 
far as I am concerned. All Imperial structures are dis- 
appointing to me; having seen one, the others can be 
mentally photographed, such is the sameness of con- 
struction and decoration. The Summer Palace grounds 
are really quite pretty, but only so in comparison with 
things Peking — no other place. If you have a map, note 
"Agricultural Temple" grounds, a large walled section near 
the south wall of the Chinese city. It is our " compound." 
A walled enclosure is a compound out here. Before the 
Emperor got into trouble with all his good friends, and 
cut their acquaintance by going ''West," it was his custom 
to come out here once each year, plant a hill of corn, and 
pray for double ears per stalk. In his absence we find it a 
very good camping ground for the battery, squadron, and 
five companies of infantry. 



2i8 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Everything very quiet here. This is a good place to 
learn patience. We know that we must wait about six 
weeks before we can read the happenings in the States, 
of events which we get hints of as liable to occur, about 
which we want to read the details. 

To relieve the monotony of garrison life the British, 
Germans, and others arranged race days at the course 
near Pekin. As no time records were kept, it may 
be readily understood that the horses entered would 
hardly be eligible for the Derby. There were many 
dinners and occasional military ceremonies. On the 
day following Christmas, 1900, General Chaffee wrote: 

Today I was present at a re\dew of the German troops 
by the Field Marshal, and presentation by him of new 
flags to the regiment. It was a very ceremonious miHtary 
spectacle, and was executed with the precision of a clock. 
One would think the whole affair rehearsed and gone 
through with a dozen times before today, but not so. Once 
before the troops had been fitted to the ground — last 
Saturday — and I think that today each soldier knew 
exactly where he was to place himself and how to move 
from place to place. The German parade step and the 
carriage of head and eyes — the bold stare — would make 
you laugh, perhaps, but the next minute you would cer- 
tainly applaud. One could read on the face of every man — 
"I am a German soldier — Hurrah for the Emperor and 
Fatherland — the world is looking and I am proud to show 
it what I can do." 

I took with me a hundred infantry and a hundred 
cavalry in order that our men might see how a miHtary 
function is conducted by experts. 



Winter Quarters in Pekin 219 

After the Germans had left the grounds our troops 
marched by the Marshal. The men looked well and 
marched well, but we have not the snap about us that is 
so marked a feature of soldiering with German troops. 

Count von Waldersee occupied the Winter Palace as 
his headquarters. The buildings caught fire during 
the night and burned so rapidly that the Count was 
barely rescued, being taken from his apartment through 
the window. His chief of staff, General Schwarzhoff, 
perished in the flames. The Count lost another of his 
superior officers in a peculiar way. He was on one 
of the punitive expeditions undertaken by the Germans 
and went to sleep in a Chinese house, leaving a charcoal 
fire in his room. He was found dead the next morning. 

Upon the arrival of the mail it was General Chaffee's 
custom to read carefully the American newspapers. 
One day Li Hung Chang with two secretaries and a 
retinue of servants made an unheralded social call and 
found General Chaffee surrounded by a pile of news- 
papers which he had been reading. After an exchange 
of greetings Li Hung Chang said: 

"I see you have mail from America. Is there any 
news?" 

"Oh, nothing much. I see we are having a severe 
drought and the preachers are praying for rain." 

"Do the Christian preachers pray for rain?" 

"Yes, when they need it badly." 

"Do they get it?" 

"Sometimes they do and sometimes they do not." 

"Well, that is just the way the Chinese Joss God 
does," returned Li Hung Chang. 



220 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

In writing of the visit General Chafifee said : 

Li Hung Chang was out to call on me yesterday. I 
suppose it is not news to you that no power has any confi- 
dence in him except the United States, unless it be Russia, 
and it is the general idea that he is all too friendly toward 
Russia, hence the dislike of him. 

The United States is far away, so the Earl can, if not 
sincere, make expressions of friendship to stay her at a 
distance. But from my four conversations with him I 
think him entirely sincere in his expressions of friendship 
and appreciation by China for the course the United States 
has steadily followed in this matter. He never fails to 
express his great appreciation of the manner in which our 
troops have dealt with the people at large — -refraining 
from indiscriminate shooting and having little part in the 
general looting of Pekin and none at all in the adjacent 
towns. There is excuse, and if the business had been con- 
fined to necessity, nothing could have been said. Many 
troops, ours in some respects, were hurried here inade- 
quately supplied, and the country had to be drawn upon to 
make good the deficit; only in transportation were we 
deficient. 

Earl Li was very inquisitive about our equipment, 
especially our rifle and carbine. 

He witnessed the parade of the Ninth Infantry at 
retreat, and when the flag was lowered, the band playing 
the ''Star Spangled Banner," he shook his own hands, 
Chinese fashion, very warmly. 

When Washington and his brother-officers of the 
Revolution met together and organized the Society of 
the Cincinnati, they set an example which has been 
followed in our other wars. Out of the Mexican War 



^5 



"yf^ • 






/2. 



/f" 






LETTER FROM LI HUNG CHANG TO GENERAL CHAFFEE 



Winter Quarters in Pekin 221 

grew the Aztec Society; out of the Civil War, the 
Loyal Legion; out of the Cuban campaign, the Society 
of Santiago. Following this custom, the officers of the 
China Relief Expedition assembled in Pekin during 
the early days of October, 1900, and organized the 
MiHtary Order of the Dragon, provision being made 
for admitting to honorary membership the officers 
of foreign armies on service in China between June 1 5 
and October i, 1900. General Chaffee was elected 
president of the society and continued in the office until 
his retirement from active service, when he resigned. 

Soon after this society was organized the commander 
of the Japanese forces in China, General Yamaguchi, 
called upon General Chaffee to inform him that the 
Japanese government desired to bestow upon him the 
"Order of the Rising Sun." General Chaffee wrote a 
letter of thanks and acquainted the Japanese com- 
mander with the restriction placed on American officials 
in the matter of receiving decorations and with the 
fact that our government had no reciprocal honors to 
bestow upon foreign officers. 

During the winter of 1901 a reorganization of the 
army was undertaken by Congress to meet the increas- 
ing demands of peace and to enable the President to 
discharge many thousands of Volunteers still on duty 
in the Philippine Islands. The act was approved on 
February 2, 1901, and two days later General Chaffee 
was advanced from colonel of Regulars to major 
general in the permanent organization. At that time 
he held temporary rank as major general of Volunteers. 
The officers of the British force seemed quite as 



222 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

delighted with his promotion as were his own officers, 
A few nights later the British officers surprised General 
Chaffee with a genuine ovation. He endeavored to 
express his appreciation, but was overcome with 
emotion and embarrassment. After his remarks were 
concluded, the enthusiastic British comrades actually 
carried him on their shoulders to his quarters. Alto- 
gether it was. a most memorable occasion and is still 
mentioned with pride by American officers who had 
foregathered at the Temple of Heaven on that night. 

In writing to the Secretary of War, Elihu Root, to 
express his appreciation of the promotion given him 
as a reward for his services, not alone in China, but 
during a long and exceptional military career, General 
Chaffee said: 

I am unable to pledge greater devotion and purpose to 
serve faithfully, to the best of my ability, my country, in the 
future than it has been my constant pleasure to do in the 
past — at times, too, when stars did not figure as tokens of 
reward. 

General Chaffee's promotion, as well as his course 
in China, met with general approval. He had won 
the esteem of Colonel Roosevelt at Santiago, and in 
far-away Pekin it warmed his heart to receive this 
generous letter: 

The Vice-President's Chamber 

Washington, D.C, March i6, 1901 
Major General Adna R. Chafee 

My dear General: I want one of my first letters as 
Vice-President to be a note of congratulation to you. I 



Winter Quarters in Pekin 223 

ought by rights to put it as a note of congratulation to our 
people and the army upon your advancement. We are 
all your debtors for what you have done in China — for 
everything, from the way you fought, to the way you have 
done justice, and the stand you have taken on matters 
generally, including your letter to Waldersee. I got a 
glimpse of Mrs. Chaffee last fall and greatly enjoyed it. 
I look forward to seeing you again. 

Faithfully yours, 

Theodore Roosevelt 

The letter to Count von Waldersee referred to by 
the Vice-President, and previously mentioned as 
endangering relations between the American and 
German headquarters in Pekin, was written under 
serious provocation connected with other incidents. 
General Chaffee recognized later that diplomacy 
called for gentler words, but his outspoken, blunt 
characterization of the deed did not injure him in the 
least. The letter is as follows: 

Headquarters China Relief Expedition 
Pekin, China, December 3, 1900 
Your Exellency: 

Having heard that the astronomical instruments are 
being removed from the observatory, an ofhcer of my staff 
went there yesterday and on his return confirms the 
report. I have the honor to inform Your Excellency that 
my government would vehemently denounce any officer 
of its service who might enter upon spoliation of this sort, 
and it will sincerely regret to learn that any nation with 
which it co-operated to relieve the besieged Legations in 
Peking authorizes or permits its troops to injure or remove 



2 24 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

any instruments or other part of the observatory. As 
commander of one of the four co-operating columns which 
relieved the Legations on August 14, 1 make to you respect- 
ful protest in this matter, and shall inform my government 
of the fact. 

With assurances of high esteem, 
Very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

Adna R. Chaffee 
Major General U.S. V. 
Commanding U.S. Troops, China Relief Expedition 
Field Marshal Count von Waldersee 

Commanding Allied Forces 

It was deemed advisable from a diplomatic point 
of view to rebuke General Chaffee mildly : 

Adjutant General's Office 
Chafee Washington, December 5, 1900 

Pekin 

Referring to your dispatch giving substance of com- 
munication to Count Waldersee regarding taking of instru- 
ments from observatory, the President regrets the severity 
of the language which appears to have been used. 

Corbin 

It should be borne in mind that the Germans did 
not participate in the movement from Tientsin to 
Pekin, but arrived after the armed resistance had 
ceased. They were enraged at the assassination of 
their ambassador by the Boxers, but General Chaffee 
regarded the aftermath of vengeance as murder and 
spoliation unjustified in the absence of organized 
resistance. 



Winter Quarters in Pekin 225 

The garrison life at Pekin was full of interest, but 
General Chaffee was impatient at the delay in the 
re-establishment of the Chinese government and was 
continually incensed at the manner in which many of 
the allies robbed and destroyed without reference to 
guilt or innocence of individual Chinese. He wrote 
at that time: 

I presume the feeling is quite general that time is being 
unnecessarily consumed in the settlement of the Chinese 
question. It does seem so over here when one inquires 
from time to time regarding the progress made, and is 
informed that the day was spent in talking and that the 
next meeting would be a week hence. So far as my observa- 
tion goes, the Chinese, heretofore regarded as being un- 
equaled for procrastination, have been quite as prompt in 
compliance as have been their adversaries in determining 
what their demands shall be. I suppose, however, that 
the funeral march cannot be avoided under circumstances 
where the strains of the music are so very discordant, as 
are the interests represented by the ministers here in council ; 
especially, when backed by the purpose to advantage one 
over the other, for the future, is also a part of the program. 
The indemnity question, about how much for each, is 
under discussion now, and no doubt will be for a long time. 
China will then have to be given time to determine how 
she can pay. No doubt there are some creditors, should 
that necessity arise, who can be compensated with terri- 
tory, and who are more than willing to be so recompensed. 
China seems doomed to disruption, to be divided up, 
before the nations will be satisfied ; if not now, then later. 
But if this is done, the Chinese believe their time will 
come again, and China will be reunited, for they say, 
"Long united to be divided, long divided, to be reunited." 



2 26 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

General Chaffee had been somewhat concerned over 
the anxiety of European contingents to lay hands on 
bullion and treasure. The American troops at Tientsin 
had rescued a considerable amount of bullion from 
the burned mint. The provisional government officials 
■ — Europeans, appointed for the temporary control of 
the city — were so eager and insistent about its transfer 
to them that General Chaffee caused it to be deposited 
to the credit of the United States Treasury, to be 
disposed of as a matter between the two governments. 
Millions of dollars secured from seizure of treasure 
and sale of property remained unaccounted for in any 
way to benefit the unfortunate Chinese in adjustment 
of indemnity. 

The manner in which hands were laid upon anything 
bearing the semblance of Chinese government owner- 
ship amazed General Chaffee. He grew skeptical 
of any future accounting by the allies and was insistent 
that Americans should depart, when their stewardship 
ceased, with a fair name. He caused to be rendered a 
civil fund account, embracing property and treasure 
which had come into possession of the American 
forces and which could not be returned to the owners. 
Among other property found in the city were a hundred 
animals in a corral abandoned when the city was 
captured, and perishing for want of forage and water. 
General Chaffee had them cared for in the grounds of 
the Temple of Agriculture until the food supply Avas 
exhausted, when he sent the herd out of the city, turn- 
ing the animals loose where they could forage for 
themselves until taken up by their owners. 



CHAPTER XXVI 
THE EVACUATION OF PEKIN 

There had been no organized resistance since the 
allied troops took possession of Pekin. It had become 
apparent that the Chinese governmental authorities 
would not return to take up the business of administra- 
tion while foreigners remained in control of the nation's 
capital. The several governments of the allied troops, 
therefore, began measures looking to an early reduction 
of strength of the forces in Pekin to the numbers deemed 
necessary to afford immediate protection to the lega- 
tions. As early as February 26, 1901, the War Depart- 
ment had communicated to General Chaffee the fact 
that the Secretary of War expected that circumstances 
would permit an early reduction of the American forces 
to a legation guard of about two companies, and that 
about May i General Chaffee would be ordered to 
command the forces in the Philippine Islands. 

Measures were promptly undertaken for transferring 
surplus stores to the seacoast. The first matter to 
receive attention was the removal of the bodies of those 
who had lost their lives in China. Other nations 
cremate or bury their dead on the field of battle. The 
American custom is to mark all places of temporary 
burial with a view to the ultimate return to their 
homes of the bodies of all who have fallen in battle or 
who have died in foreign service. This custom was 

227 



2 28 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

inaugurated at the beginning of the war with Spain, 
and in 1899 was established as the poKcy of the nation 
by the following instructions of the President: 

Executive Mansion, April 3, 1899 
It is fitting that, in behalf of the nation, tributes of honor 
be paid to the memories of the noble men who lost their 
lives in their country's service during the late war with 
Spain. It is the more fitting inasmuch as, in consonance 
with the spirit of our free institutions and in obedience to 
the most exalted promptings of patriotism, those who were 
sent to other shores to do battle for their country's honor 
under their country's flag went freely from every quarter of 
our beloved land. Each soldier, each sailor, parting from 
home ties and putting behind him private interests in the 
presence of the stern emergency of unsought war with an 
alien foe, was an individual type of that devotion of the 
citizen to the state which makes our nation strong in unity 
and in action. 

Those who died in another land left in many homes the 
undying memories that attend the heroic dead of all the 
ages. It was fitting that with the advent of peace won by 
their sacrifice their bodies should be gathered with tender 
care and restored to home and kindred. 

William McKinley 

In accordance with this policy a transport was 
started homeward, before the evacuation of China, 
with the bodies of two officers and fifty-seven soldiers 
and civilian employees. 

Those who lost their lives or were broken in health 
by wounds and disease incident to the China Relief 
Expedition outnumbered those whom they were sent 



The Evacuation of Pekin 229 

to rescue in the besieged legations. In the present 
state of pacifist sentiment there may be some who, 
weighing these facts in the balance, would have halted 
the columns fighting their way to Pekin. Whenever 
the American people, generally, reach such a state of 
mind that they are willing to discuss the cost in blood 
and treasure of protecting our citizens, the Republic is 
on the road to decay. A republic exists only by the 
virtue and courage of its citizens. 

The withdrawal of the American troops was begun 
by transferring to Tongku the mounted organizations, 
thus making unnecessary the further shipment of 
forage to Pekin. On May 22 General Chaffee left 
Pekin with the Ninth Infantry to join the other troops 
which had arrived at the port of departure. The 
following report of the departure of the American 
troops was made: 

Legation of the United States of America 
Pekin, China, May 23, 1901 
To the Honorable John Hay 
Secretary of State 

Washington, D.C. 
Sir: I have the honor to report the departure today 
of Major General Adna R. Chaffee, with his headquarters 
and the remaining United States troops at Pekin, nine 
companies of the Ninth Infantry, for Tongku and the 
Philippines. The Light Battery F, Fifth Artillery, and 
four troops of the Sixth Cavalry left some time ago and are 
now in camp at Tongku, awaiting his arrival. 

The many expressions of regret on the part of all 
nationalities at his departure have been very gratifying. 



230 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Nearly every British officer in Pekin, as well as many 
representatives of all the allied forces, were present at the 
station to wish him, his officers, and men a "bon voyage." 

But his departure is still more regretted by the Chinese. 
Petition after petition has been sent into the Legation by 
the natives — from the Plenipotentiaries down to the poorest 
shopkeeper. His administration has been just and equi- 
table, and while not as severe as the occasion may sometimes 
seem to have demanded, results show that his judgment has 
rarely been at fault. While the blunt, soldierly attitude 
of General Chaffee was misunderstood by some during the 
early days of the campaign, no general here is now more 
popular or is held in higher esteem by not only his colleagues 
in the military service, but by the Diplomatic Corps as well. 

His relations with the Legation have been at all times 
most pleasant, which cannot be said of the most of the 
military commanders and their legations. I have the 
honor to be. Sir, Your obedient servant, 

H. G. Squires 

The occupation of Pekin by the allies was rapidly 
drawing to a close. The punitive expeditions had 
degenerated into the taking of a few lives and the 
destruction of property without any compensating 
good whatever. The Chinese government was helpless, 
yet too proud to return to Pekin and resume the reins 
of authority as long as the foreigners remained in 
possession. Before General Chaffee sailed from China 
the German ambassador in Washington handed to the 
Secretary of State a memorandum announcing the 
recall of Field Marshal Count von Waldersee from his 
command in China : 



The Evacuation of Pekin 231 

In consideration: 

That the anti-foreign movement, which broke out in 
the Province of Tschih, China, during the last summer, has 
been suppressed by the forces of the powers under the chief 
command of Field Marshal Count von Waldersee; 

That the Chinese have been impressively shown the 
superior power of the allies; 

That, under the circumstances, greater military prob- 
lems will, in the near future, not have to be solved in 
Tschili; 

His Majesty the Emperor of Germany thinks that the 
time has come to put an end to the mentioned commander- 
in-chiefship, and to call it home. 

The Imperial Government is convinced that this inten- 
tion of His Majesty will coincide in the views of the United 
States Government. The Imperial Government will have 
no objection to the allied contingent commander in Tschili 
deciding the future form of the military commander-in- 
chiefship over the allied forces which might be declared 
necessary by the respective generals in Tschili. 

Washington, May 25, 1901 

The Secretary of State thereupon communicated 
to the German ambassador the views of the United 
States government: 

Department of State, Washington 

The Government of the United States receives with 
satisfaction the announcement that His Majesty the 
Emperor of Germany, considering the anti-foreign dis- 
turbances in China to have been suppressed, thinks that the 
time has come for the termination of the existing miUtary 



232 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

situation in China by the recall of Field Marshal Count 
von Waldersee. 

The views of this Government upon the subject of the 
further military occupation of the territory of China by 
foreign troops have been signified by the entire withdrawal 
of its own forces, with the exception of a small legation 
guard for the protection of its diplomatic representatives 
in Pekin. 

This Government is happy to avail itself of an oppor- 
tunity to express the high personal respect and esteem with 
which Field Marshal Count von Waldersee has been 
regarded by the officers of the United States in China, and 
a grateful appreciation of the many courtesies they have 
received from him. 

Washington, May 28, 1901 

The territory of China has been invaded on numer- 
ous occasions, and each time the feeble resistance 
and entire lack of cohesion of the people amazed 
foreigners unfamiliar with the Chinese at home. As 
Americans know them in the United States, they 
typify capability, perseverance, tenacity of purpose, 
and great endurance. China is reputed to have a 
population of four hundred million people, yet fourteen 
thousand foreigners, under half a dozen separate 
commanders, operated with sufficient cohesion to 
brush aside all resistance and finally to assault the 
walled capital and subdue the defenders, mainly with 
infantry fire assisted by a few light field guns. 

The Chinese at home are a peace-loving, thrifty 
race, possessing no form of militarism or desire to 
conquer other peoples. Their vast territory is disinte- 



The Evacuation of Pekin 233 

grating under the pressure of the more powerful and 
aggressive nations. It seems incredible that they do 
not mobihze their resources for national defense before 
they shall suffer humiliation and despoliation at the 
hands of those who seize and retain through superiority 
of force regardless of right. The awakening is long 
overdue; a little more delay and the opportunity for 
preserving the integrity of China's domain will have 
passed, so far as this generation is concerned. No 
conquering nation may absorb the Chinese, but it will 
take some generations before the conquerors will be 
absorbed, as they surely will be. 

General Chaffee, upon his arrival in China, an- 
nounced at the first conference of the allied com- 
manders that his instructions were to proceed to the 
relief of the legations in Pekin. When it was sug- 
gested that the obstacles to be overcome demanded 
delay until reinforcements could arrive, he informed 
the assembled generals that his instructions contem- 
plated the rescue of the living in the besieged legations, 
not the execution of vengeance for their massacre, and 
that the American force would march on Pekin the 
following day; that the co-operation of all the forces 
was earnestly desired, but that if it was not to be had 
he was determined to proceed at all costs. Discussion 
instantly ceased when the British and Japanese com- 
manders, who had previously conferred with General 
Chaffee, announced that their troops would march 
with the Americans. 

When the object of their mission had been accom- 
plished, General Chaffee took up the rehabilitation of 



234 The Life of Lieutenant General C ha fee 

plundered Pekin and the restoration of order as his 
most important duty. He set his influence and 
authority sternly against oppression and robbery of 
the Chinese in any form, whether by authority of 
superior commanders or not. He recognized that 
the mob had gained the ascendancy and that no per- 
manent change could come until the lawful authorities 
could be restored to their functions. That civilized 
troops should vie with the oriental mob in looting 
shocked General Chaffee profoundly, and his out- 
spoken condemnation of the wrongs being perpetrated 
materially improved the situation. That his course 
was humane and right he never doubted. Never- 
theless, it was a source of satisfaction to know that 
his course had met with the approbation of those whose 
lives and property he had endeavored to protect from 
the spirit of vengeance so pronounced in some of the 
troops gathered in Pekin after the fighting was over. 
The following letter is a fitting close to the story of 
the China Relief Expedition: 



Department of State, Washington 

My dear General Chaffee: 

The Chinese Minister called here the other day, and 
expressed, with great earnestness and deep feeling, the 
gratitude of the Chinese Government and the people of 
Peking for the humane, enlightened, and generous treat- 
ment they received at your hands and those of the officers 
and soldiers under your command. It was a personal and 
not an official dispatch. You know how we all feel about 



The Evacuation of Pekin 235 

the matter here in Washington, that your whole adminis- 
tration of affairs in China was a source of the greatest 
credit to yourself and of honor to your country, and I am 
glad to be able to assure you that the same sentiment 
animates the people of China, with whom you were 

associated. ^;r r -^i r n 

Yours faithfully, 

John Hay 



CHAPTER XXVII 
PHILIPPINE SERVICE 

From the date of the occupation of the Philippine 
Islands by the army the commanding general of the 
forces, exercising also the functions of military governor, 
had been responsible for the civil and military control 
of the archipelago. Political opponents of the adminis- 
tration and those who were opposed to the retention of 
the islands, playing always for advantage, made it 
expedient, if not a matter of real moment, to hasten 
the inauguration of civil government. In his annual 
message to Congress, December 5, 1899, the President 
said, in reference to the Philippine Islands: 

As long as the insurrection continues, the military arm 
must necessarily be supreme. But there is no reason why 
steps should not be taken from time to time to inaugurate 
governments essentially popular in their form as fast as 
territory is held and controlled by our troops. To this 
end I am considering the advisability of the return of the 
commission, or such of the members thereof as can be 
secured, to aid the existing authorities and facilitate this 
work throughout the islands. 

To give effect to this expressed intention the Presi- 
dent appointed five commissioners to the Philippine 
Islands to continue and perfect the work of organizing 
and establishing civil government already commenced 
by the military authorities. Honorable William How- 

236 



Philippine Service 237 

ard Taft was designated as president of the Board of 
Commissioners. In communicating his instructions to 
the Secretary of War the President said : 

It is probable that the transfer of authority from mili- 
tary commanders to civil officers will be gradual and will 
occupy a considerable period. Its successful accomplish- 
ment and the maintenance of peace and order in the mean- 
time will require the most perfect co-operation between 
the civil and mihtary authorities in the island, and both 
should be directed during the transition period by the same 
executive department. The commission will therefore 
report to the Secretary of War, and all their action will be 
subject to your approval and control. 

On September i, 1900, that part of the power of 
government in the Philippine Islands which is of a 
legislative nature was transferred from the Mihtary 
Governor of the islands to the Commission. The 
Commission was directed to proceed with the estab- 
lishment of municipal governments, in which the 
natives of the islands, both in the cities and in rural 
communities, should be afforded the opportunity to 
manage their own local affairs to the fullest extent of 
which they were capable. This was to be followed by 
the organization of government in the larger admin- 
istrative divisions corresponding to counties or prov- 
inces, in which the common interests of several or 
many municipalities, falHng within the same tribal 
lines, or the same natural geographical limits, might 
best be subserved by a common administration. The 
Commission was instructed to report whenever its 



238 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

members were of the opinion that the central adminis- 
tration of the islands might safely be transferred from 
military to civil control. 

Under an amendment to the act making appropria- 
tion for the support of the army, approved on March 2, 
1 901, it was provided that all military, civil, and judicial 
powers necessary to govern the Philippine Islands 
should be vested in such person or persons and be 
exercised in such manner as the President should direct 
for the establishment of civil government and for 
maintaining and protecting the inhabitants of the 
islands in the free enjoyment of their liberty, property, 
and religion. The President, by executive order, 
directed that the president of the Philippine Com- 
mission, with the title of civil governor, should on and 
after July 4, 1901, exercise the executive authority in 
all civil matters previously exercised in such affairs 
by the Military Governor of the Philippines. The 
Military Governor was, on the same date, relieved 
from the performance of the civil duties transferred to 
the Civil Governor, but his authority was continued in 
those districts in which insurrection against the authority 
of the United States continued to exist, or in which public 
order was not sufficiently restored to enable provincial gov- 
ernments to be established. 

All the good intentions and loyalty of purpose in 
the world could not have prevented misunderstandings 
and friction under such provisions. It was thought 
that chances for disagreement might, to some extent, 
be eliminated by effecting a change of military govern- 
ors coincident with the establishment of the new order 



Philippine Service 239 

of dual government. General Chaffee was thereupon 
assigned to command the Division of the Philippines 
and to serve as military governor of the Philippine 
Islands, his appointment to take effect on July 4, 1901, 
the date fixed for the inauguration of the new civil 
government. 

While in China General Chaffee, as has been said, 
had been advanced from the grade of colonel to that 
of major general in the Regular Army — a very prac- 
ticable exhibition of confidence on the part of the 
appointing power. This, with his assignment to 
command the Division of the Philippines, led him to 
record in all modesty: 

I could wish for myself the wisdom of Solomon, that 
I might make no mistake and cause my friends and those 
who repose trust in me a moment of regret. If I meet my 
responsibilities, God knows I shall be happy the day I die. 
I do not think for a moment that the Philippine matter is 
an easy task; it is, on the contrary, anything but easy. 
The natives do not love us or our ways. The Asiatic will 
never love the European or American. He may be, per- 
haps, put in a situation which will force him to say he 
does, but you may be certain he does not. The Japanese 
are very friendly, but they do not like Europeans or 
Americans when it comes to a matter of like or dislike; 
they tolerate us, so to speak, but the feeling is different 
from the feeling existing between Europeans and other 
Europeans, Americans and Europeans, and vice versa. 
The Japanese smile when we tell them our affairs in the 
Philippines will soon be settled to our satisfaction; they do 
not believe us for the reason that they think they know the 
islanders better than we do. They talk of the time when 



240 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

it may be necessary to put a hundred thousand men in 
Formosa. They do not adopt our humane pohcy, but 
crush resistance. It has taken a great deal of killing and a 
long time to put the devil underneath. I fear the case is 
not so very different for our government in the Philippines. 
If our citizens would go there in numbers and make homes, 
it would help to solve the problem, but I do not hear of 
their doing so to any appreciable extent. 

Conditions which confronted General Chaffee in 
taking over the command of the troops in the Philip- 
pines may be understood by some of the views expressed 
in the final report of his predecessor in command, 
Major General Arthur MacArthur: 

When the offensive action of the campaign became rapid, 
the native army, in order to avoid capture or destruction, 
was obliged to disband; but as the dissolution was accom- 
pHshed in accordance with a deliberate and prearranged 
plan, it was not attended with large loss of life in battle. 

The Filipino idea behind the dissolution of their field 
army was not at the time of the occurrence well under- 
stood in the American camp. As a consequence, mis- 
leading conclusions were reached to the effect that the 
insurrection itself had been destroyed, and that it only 
remained to sweep up the fag ends of the rebel army by a 
system of poUce administration not Hkely to be either 
onerous or dangerous. 

Acting on the assumption that the ascendancy gained 
over the concentrated armies of the insurrection had 
sufficiently demonstrated superiority in all the arts and 
policy of war, in all the resources of power and intelligence, 
the undersigned, on June 5, 1900, recommended a general 



Philippine Service 241 

and complete amnesty, the issue of which was directed by 
the President, and which was accordingly promulgated on 
the twenty-first of the same month. The immediate 
result was not inspiring. In the Hght of the subsequently 
ascertained facts, referrred to above, it is now apparent 
that it could not have operated directly to accomplish the 
end in view. In remote consequences, however, it is 
equally apparent to the reflective mind that the amnesty 
notice, and the memorandum pubhshed July 2, 1900, in 
connection therewith, proved to be most useful instruments 
in behalf of pacification, as, taken together, they effectively 
revealed to the natives the beneficent spirit of American 
institutions, and the determination of the United States 
to estabhsh an essentially repubhcan government attended 
with the largest amount of personal hberty. 

The disbandment of the insurgent field armies was 
followed by a considerable period of comparative inactivity. 
At the time this was regarded as a favorable indication, and 
further encouraged the hope that the war might be ter- 
minated by general acceptance of American supremacy. 
These apparently favorable conditions, however, represented 
the time necessary to redistribute and adjust the insurgent 
forces to the new method of warfare. During this period, 
also, evidence came to hand which suggested that some of 
the Filipino leaders were willing to submit the issue to the 
judgment of the American people, which was soon to be 
expressed at the polls, and to abide by the result of the 
Presidential election of November, 1900. This view 
obtained with considerable force within the American fines; 
but subsequent events demonstrated that the hope of end- 
ing the war without further effusion of blood was not well 
founded, and that, as a matter of fact, the Filipinos were 
organizing for further desperate resistance by means of a 



242 The Life of Lieutenant General Chajffee 

general banding of the people in support of the guerrillas 
in the field. 

An entirely new campaign was therefore determined 
upon, based upon the central idea of detaching the towns 
from the immediate support of the guerrillas in the field, 
and thus precluding the indirect support which arose from 
indiscriminate acceptance by the towns of the insurrecuion 
in all its ramifications. 

As a consequence of centuries of monarchical colonial 
administration, the people of the islands are suspicious of, 
rather than grateful for, any declared or even practiced 
governmental beneficence, and in this particular instance 
they undoubtedly looked upon the lenient attitude of the 
United States as indicating conscious weakness, which in 
itself was sufficient to induce grave doubt as to the wisdom 
of siding with such a power, especially so, as the United 
States had made no formal announcement of an inflexible 
purpose to hold the archipelago and afford protection to pro- 
A mericans by proclaiming a legal and constitutional right, 
as well as a determined purpose, to act accordingly/ 

Within a few days after taking command General 
Chaffee found it necessary to resume military opera- 
tions, all efforts to induce a general surrender having 
failed. It became a matter of great importance to 
have in advance of operations a clear and compre- 
hensive understanding and agreement with the civil 
government of the islands in order that no conflict 
of authority should arise. General Chaffee, on July 6, 
1 90 1, addressed a communication to the civil governor 

'Annual Report of Major General Arthur MacArthur, Commanding 
Division of the Philippines and Military Governor of the Philippine 
Islands, July 4, 1901, in Report of War Department, 1901, Vol. I, Part 4, 
pp. 88 ff. 



Philippine Service 243 

of the Philippine Islands, Honorable William Howard 
Taft, requesting detailed information as to the use of 
the army in provinces not yet pacified, and remarked : 

I think it important to the end that harmonious rela- 
tions shall exist between the civil and military authorities, 
and that the officers of the army may know where and 
judge of the time for and method of action, that you name 
to me the provinces — if not whole provinces, then munici- 
palities — which in your opinion are now in a satisfactory 
state of pacification and have the necessary civil organiza- 
tion for administration of affairs, maintenance of law and 
order, and protection of life and property without assistance 
from the troops. 

In his reply the Civil Governor stated the under- 
standing of the Commission to be that under the 
President's order of June 21, 1901, the civil executive 
jurisdiction of the Civil Governor extended only to 
those provinces organized by legislative act of the 
Commission, and remarked: 

The Commission is further of opinion that all territory 
in the archipelago in which the Commission has not organ- 
ized civil government is subject to the civil jurisdiction 
of the Military Governor to exactly the same extent and in 
the same manner as before the order of June 21, 1901, but 
that as the Commission shall organize provincial govern- 
ments, in accordance with the instructions of April 7, 1900, 
such governments and territory embraced within their 
jurisdiction will pass under the civil executive jurisdiction of 
the Civil Governor. 

All efforts to effect the general surrender of those 
in insurrection had failed. Many bands operating 



244 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

in Southern Luzon had brought about a condition 
which demanded severe measures. The majority of 
the people undoubtedly desired peace, but they had 
been terrorized by lawless bands which contained 
some Filipino patriots, intermingled with a large 
number of bandits and former ladrones. Fear of 
assassination prevented the people from giving aid to 
the American troops and from refusing contributions 
to the insurrectos. The operations of the insurrectos 
extended to the islands of Samar, Mindoro, Cebu, 
Bohol, and Mindanao. 

A rearrangement of commands and a general move- 
ment were inaugurated to disperse the roving bands, 
as well as to break up the guerrilla methods of many 
communities, the members of which were friend and 
foe as the occasion demanded. Every act in the Phil- 
ippines was watched by the so-called anti-imperialists, 
and it was essential that good order be restored in 
all the islands so as to permit the experiment of civil 
government to have a fair trial without embarrassment 
from political partisans in the United States. The 
army has always found, when its acts come to be judged 
by American citizens, that patriotism is merely a state 
of mind, not steadfast and immovable in the light of 
political advantage. 

That General Chaffee loyally and faithfully en- 
deavored to divest himself of all preconceived ideas 
of the Philippine situation, and to execute the tasks 
before him in the interest of the nation he served, the 
records establish beyond cavil. That he could not 
avoid complications was a foregone conclusion in the 



Philippine Service 245 

mind of every responsible officer familiar with con- 
ditions. The troops under his command were quar- 
tered at more than four hundred stations. Economy 
of administration and supply dictated a concentra- 
tion, but General Chaffee held to the opinion that the 
municipal and provincial governments being organized 
were in an experimental stage, and that the continued 
presence of the army would afford moral support by 
making evident to the Filipinos that the armed power of 
the nation was there to aid and support the civil power. 

Within a few weeks after he assumed command at 
Manila a massacre of troops unexcelled in horror and 
duplicity in the annals of the army awakened the 
isolated garrisons to a realization that the entire body 
of natives had not yet accepted the sovereignty of the 
invader. Lulled to a sense of security by the friendly 
attitude of the inhabitants of the village of Balangiga, 
Samar, the officers and a majority of the men of C 
Company, Ninth Infantry, a regiment which had 
formed part of General Chaffee's command during 
the operations against Pekin, were foully attacked 
while at breakfast and, being cut off from their rifles, 
were butchered with bolos and knives. 

In all the military operations in the Philippines the 
American troops had suffered much from Malay 
duplicity. They had encountered hidden dangers 
on many trails — traps with lances, poisoned bamboo, 
lantakas, and an infinite variety of ingenious methods 
of slaying one's enemy without danger to one's self. 
The polite native of daylight hours fired into the Ameri- 
can camps by night and thus involved the peaceably 



246 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

inclined Filipinos in the general suspicion. Americans 
are straightforward and generous fighters, little imbued 
with personal hatred. To warn them against the evils 
of overconfidence General Chaffee sent out this order: 

The division commander calls the attention of all 
officers and enlisted men of this command to the loss of 
comrades at Balangiga, Samar, September 28, last, due to 
unwatchfulness and unwarranted confidence in the pro- 
fessed loyalty and friendship of the inhabitants of the 
town where the troops were located. For these reasons 
too much reliance should not be placed on professions of 
faith and friendship as yet unproved. Military vigilance 
should never be relaxed, and every precaution must be 
taken to guard against a recurrence of disaster as at 
Balangiga. 

The subsequent military operations in Samar were 
conducted with a view to convincing the natives that 
treachery and assassination would not bring peace 
and order to their island. Much criticism in America 
resulted from the course pursued by some of those 
in authority in Samar during this campaign. General 
Chaffee maintained his characteristic balance of mind 
throughout and upheld his subordinates as long as they 
executed their orders in full accord with the rules of 
warfare, but unsparingly enforced the army regulations 
when they were at fault. That some grave wrongs to 
individuals occurred there was never any question, 
but that the provocation was great there was no doubt 
whatever. 

With the Balangiga massacre and its consequences 
uppermost in his mind and demanding immediate atten- 



Philippine Service 247 

tion, General Chaffee found himself confronted with the 
inevitable conflict of authority which none could long 
avoid under a dual government with some radical 
partisans on each side. Inasmuch as General Chaffee 
credited his views in this conflict of authority with 
some disagreeable features of his later service, it is 
deemed desirable to enter somewhat into the details of 
the incident. The following letter will give an idea 
of the character of the contention concerning the limi- 
tations of authority of the Military Governor: 

A J. , , r^ , Manila, October 2, looi 

Adjutant General ^ 

Washington 

On August 25, pursuant to writ of habeas corpus, case 
Calloway ordered deported, I declined to produce prisoner 
Court of First Instance, making return that prisoner was 
held by authority United States, that Court had no juris- 
diction in such case. Court decided no jurisdiction; man 
was deported. 

Yesterday, Supreme Court served writ for Brooks, Civil 
Service Messenger, who violated his contract, deserted, 
went to Iloilo for employment private firm. Man arrested 
and ordered deported as disciplinary measure; offered 
make return as before, prisoner not produced in court. 
Court refused to hear, and demanded presence prisoner. 
I have declined to produce. Until peace in these islands, 
authority Commanding General Division Military Gov- 
ernor must not be subjected to review by courts which I 
hold to be analogous to State courts; have acted accord- 
ingly, being careful to show respect by giving heedful 
attention to its demands. The influence of army on which 
life of civil government depends in these islands, no matter 



248 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

whose opinion to contrary, will be seriously impaired if 
action of Commanding General Division is reviewable by 
civil courts. A respectful return will always be made. 
The only course that should be permitted is appeal from his 
decision to Secretary of War for final decision as to right or 
wrong of his action. Chaffee 

The Civil Governor then presented his views of 
the matter to the Secretary of War. In a public state- 
ment made several months later on the general subject 
Governor Taft said: 

It must be understood that as the head of the civil 
government in the islands, under a form of dual control, 
my interests and sympathy are more with the civil govern- 
ment than with the military, and that the inevitable fric- 
tion which must exist under such a government between 
the two branches does not incline me to partiality in favor 
of military methods, however necessary or inevitable, but 
I believe that justice requires that both sides should be 
heard before judgment is given. 

The Civil Governor having expressed his views 
of the particular case under consideration, a copy of 
his statement was sent by cable to General Chaffee, 
and he made reply: 

Manila, October 4, 1901 
Adjutant General 

Washington 
Taft dispatch Secretary of War received. Principle 
involved is more far-reaching and of more deadly impor- 
tance to stability United States army authority these 
islands, until better sentiment masses obtains, than put 



Philippine Service 249 

by Taft. Complied with following results: habeas corpus 
for any deserter who may employ lawyer; any person now 
held for trial rules of war; inquiry into cases adjudged by 
military commissions The principle is so far- 
reaching that efforts of army, its influence will be jeopar- 
dized, and beg to say, in a state of insurrection authority over 

prisoners should not be questioned by civil court I 

have always given courtesy and support to court. This 
conflict is not my seeking. Principle involved is that 
when court is informed that prisoners held by military 
authority of the United States for crime, court shall not 
discharge prisoner nor shall he be taken into court, 7ior is 
trial by authority of military law reviewable on habeas corpus 
by court. Chaffee 

The matter was laid before the President, who 
directed a settlement of it in the Philippines : 

Executive Mansion 
Washington, October 8, 1901 
Taft 

Manila 
Desire you see Chaffee at once and come to agreement 
with him. Am deeply chagrined at the disagreement which 
aside from unfortunate results in the Philippines may also 
have unfortunate results here. I most earnestly wish to 
have this question settled in the Philippines. 

Theodore Roosevelt 

The wishes of the President could not be ignored. 
General Chaffee produced the prisoner, and the Su- 
preme Court of the Philippines set aside the action of 
the Military Governor and restored Brooks to liberty. 



250 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Matters drifted along during General Chaffee's 
incumbency of the command in the Philippines, but 
the broad question of jurisdiction as between the civil 
and military authorities had yet to be settled. The 
adjustment of the question of jurisdiction was later 
made Imperative by the action of the civil government 
in the case of Private Homer E. Grafton, Twelfth 
Infantry, who was acquitted by a general court martial 
of the charge of killing two Filipinos while he was 
performing duty as a sentry on post on a military reser- 
vation. Subsequent to the acquittal a demand was 
made by the Court of First Instance for the delivery of 
Grafton for trial by that court for the same offense 
under a different name. The surrender of the prisoner 
was refused by the Department Commander, but at 
the request of the Civil Government of the Philippine 
Islands orders from superior authority directed that 
Grafton be turned over to the civil authorities. The 
Court of First Instance proceeded with his trial, 
found him guilty, and sentenced him to prison for 
twelve years and one day. An appeal to the Supreme 
Court of the Philippine Islands was taken and the 
judgment of the lower court was affirmed, three of 
the seven judges rendering an opinion that, under 
the facts proved at the trial, the accused should have 
been acquitted. The case was then appealed to the 
Supreme Court of the United States, the expenses of the 
appeal, between ten and fifteen thousand dollars, being 
paid by contributions from officers and soldiers of the 
Regular Army. The decision of the court of last 
resort included the following statement : 



Philippine Service 251 

Of such offenses courts-martial may take cognizance 
under the 62nd Article of War, and, if they first acquire 
jurisdiction, their judgment cannot be disregarded by the 
civil courts for mere error or for any reason not affecting 
the jurisdiction of the military court. 

But we rest our decision of this question upon the broad 
ground that the same acts constituting a crime against the 
United States cannot, after the acquittal or conviction of 
the accused in a court of competent jurisdiction, be made 
the basis of a second trial of the accused for that crime 
in the same or in another court, civil or military, of the 
same government. Congress has chosen, in its discretion, 
to confer upon general courts-martial authority to try an 
ofl&cer or soldier for any crime, not capital, committed by 
him in the territory in which he is serving. When that was 
done the judgment of such mihtary court was placed upon 
the same level as the judgments of other tribunals when 
the inquiry arises whether an accused was, in virtue of that 
judgment, put in jeopardy of life or limb. 

The Government of a State does not derive its powers 
from the United States, while the Government of the 
Philippines owes its existence wholly to the United States, 
and its judicial tribunals exert all their powers by authority 
of the United States. The jurisdiction and authority of the 
United States over that territory and its inhabitants, for 
all legitimate purposes of government, is paramount. So 
that the cases holding that the same acts committed in a 
State of the Union may constitute an offense against the 
United States and also a distmct offense against the State, 
do not apply here, where the two tribunals that tried the 
accused exert all their powers under and by authority of 

the same Government— that of the United States 

We adjudge that, consistently with the above act of 1902 



252 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

and for the reasons stated, the plaintiff in error, a soldier in 
the army, having been acquitted of the crime of homicide, 
alleged to have been committed by him in the Philippines, 
by a military court of competent jurisdiction, proceeding 
under the authority of the United States, could not be 
subsequently tried for the same offense in a civil court 
exercising authority in that Territory.^ 

Military operations continued in Samar during the 
winter of 190 1-2 under great disadvantages. The 
enemy were not numerous, but the character of the 
country was entirely in their favor. The ease with 
which they could escape in the jungle made capture 
most difificult. The scattered remnants of insurrecto 
organizations were gradually isolated, however, and 
the damage they could commit greatly limited. 

During the year all parts of the archipelago except 
the Moro country were formally organized for civil 
government, and the army was relieved from all super- 
vision or control over the inhabitants or their affairs, 
except the non-Christian tribes. 

In the execution of the governmental policy 
General Chaffee continually expressed in orders his 
anxiety to avoid bringing on conflicts with the Moros^ 
especially those of the Lake Lanao region, but it 
finally became necessary to send troops into the country 
about the lake to separate the friendly from the un- 
friendly natives. To this end a road was opened and 
Camp Vickars was established, but not without severe 
fighting. The operations against the well-defended 
cottas, or forts, of these fierce Mohammedans consti- 

^ Grafton v. U.S., 206 U.S. 333, 1906. 



Philippine Service 253 

tute a story of the mingling of the bitter reahties with 
the romance of war. Before the operations began 
against the Lake Lanao Moros they were fairly warned 
as to the consequences of their hostile acts by a mes- 
sage from General Chaffee, dated April 13, 1902, which 
recited the wrongs complained of and expressed the 
hope that the friendly datos and sultans would con- 
tinue their peaceful attitude. General Chaffee, as 
military governor, then specifically proclaimed: 

Therefore, in the discharge of my office as military 
governor and commanding general of the army in the 
Philippines, I now call publicly on Dato Adta, of Paigoay, 
the Sultan of Bayan, and the Dato Amanitampugu, of 
Tubaran, to deliver to me or my representatives at Mala- 
bang or Paran-paran the assassins referred to in this 
proclamation, who are known to them, and to make restitu- 
tion of the government property which has been stolen by 
their followers, within the period of two weeks from this 
date, or suffer all the consequences which such refusal, 
if persisted in, will certainly bring upon them. With the 
other datos about Lake Lanao the government has no 
cause of complaint, and it is earnestly hoped they will 
continue the friendly relations now existing. 

There were no organized armies in insurrection at 
any time during the period of General Chaffee's com- 
mand in the Philippines. He did not assume personal 
command in the minor warfare which prevailed, but 
by instructions and personal directions he guided the 
widespread operations to a successful conclusion. 
He never struck a useless or unnecessary blow. His 
sense of humanity did not desert him for an instant, yet, 



2 54 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

in the state of partisanship which prevailed at that time 
concerning the question of the administration's poHcy 
in the Philippines, he did not escape harsh and unjust 
criticism. His few detractors in the halls of Congress 
have passed on and joined the great body of the un- 
known. It is no longer profitable to revive either 
their names or their foolish and insincere charges. 
That he had not lost any of the confidence of the Presi- 
dent was made known to him in this form : 

White House 
Washington, January 15, 1902 

My dear General Chaffee: 

Your letter gave me real pleasure. I thank you for it, 
and I thank you still more for the admirable work you have 
done for our country and the honor you have reflected on 
our flag. Believe me, my dear General, I feel very safe 
about the Philippines while you command our troops 
there. I do not expect impossibilities and all that can 
reasonably be expected I know full well you will do. 

With warm regards to Mrs. Chaffee, I am, 
Sincerely yours, 

Theodore Roosevelt 

The army in the Philippines grew restive and dis- 
contented under the criticisms and lack of under- 
standing or appreciation of the difficulties and dangers 
of service there. This will probably be the case in all 
our military operations until the nation definitely 
adopts universal service in the creation of its armies. 
Criticism has always been generously bestowed by 
those who do not serve. The careers of all our fighters, 



Philippine Service 255 

from the days of Miles Standish down to those involved 
by the last raid on the Mexican border, amply attest 
this freedom of speech, and yet, if our statues and 
monuments give evidence of real American apprecia- 
tion, our heroes have been found among the fighters 
rather than in the ranks of the critics and calumniators. 
Nevertheless, the critics demanded victims, and several 
officers were brought before courts martial to defend 
their courses in various military operations during this 
period. General Chaffee's action in all these cases 
challenges criticism. 

Insurrection had become a thing of the past, so 
far as the army was concerned, but the presence of a 
military force to co-operate with the constabulary 
when necessary was deemed advisable. To determine 
what were the needs in that regard occupied General 
Chaffee's close attention, for the expense of the large 
and widely dispersed force in the islands was very 
great. He was planning for the concentration and 
reduction of the forces when he received the following 

message : 

Washington, July 9, 1902 
Chaffee 

Manila 
Confidential 

Before a reassignment stations Department Com- 
manders, incident to retirement John R. Brooke, the 
Secretary of War desires to know whether you wish to 
remain there or be assigned New York City or Chicago. 
He feels your two years of trying and most successful 
service in the Orient entitle you to return or remain as you 
prefer. Corbin 



256 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

Forty years had elapsed since General Chaffee en- 
listed at the beginning of the Civil War. During this 
long period no other officer of the army had been more 
continuously in active service. In one of his letters 
from Pekin, to his wife, recalling that they were nearly 
always engaged in correspondence and seldom together, 
he wrote: 

One of these days you will be satisfied for me to retire 
and keep house with you, going no more to war. 

The conditions in the Philippines had assumed a 
quietude beyond the hopes and expectations of the 
most optimistic. The constabulary had been organized 
and dispersed widely through the islands. Upon that 
body and the municipal police would eventually fall the 
duty of ridding the country of ladrones and organized 
outlaws. There remained no serious or important 
work which demanded the presence of any particu- 
lar general, and there were a number of capable and 
efficient officers of that grade in the islands avail- 
able if needed. General Chaffee therefore signified 
his desire for assignment to the command on the 
Atlantic Coast, with headquarters at Governors 
Island, New York. A few days later, on July 14, 
1902, orders were issued relieving him from the com- 
mand of the Division of the Philippines and assign- 
ing him to the command of the Department of the 
East, these orders to become effective on September 30,, 
1902. 

Many incidents occurred during the period of 
General Chaffee's command in the Philippines to* 



Philippine Service 257 

mark his regime as one requiring high ideals and 
definite performance of duty. Accustomed, as he was, 
to death in all its horrible forms, on and about the 
ragged edges of battlefields, the dastardly shot which 
terminated the life of President McKinley struck a 
note often observed in men of the Ironsides type. 
Instead of issuing the usual formal order for draping 
the colors in mourning upon the death of a president, 
General Chaffee assembled the troops in and near 
Manila, and at twelve o'clock noon read to them in 
person the announcement of the assassination of 
President McKinley. Then followed a funeral dirge, 
during which the color-bearers of all organizations 
advanced and formed three sides of a hollow square; 
the troops presented arms and the colors were then 
draped in mourning. The troops then stood at ease 
and all joined in singing: 

My country, 'tis of thee, 
Sweet land of liberty. 

Of thee I sing; 
Land where my fathers died, 
Land of the Pilgrim's pride. 
From ev'ry mountain side 

Let freedom ring! 

Our father's God, to thee, 
Author of liberty, 

To thee we sing. 
Long may our land be bright 
With freedom's holy light; 
Protect us by thy might, 

Great God, our King. 



258 The Life of Lieutenant General ChaJ'ee 

Then followed the President's salute of twenty-one 
guns, the benediction, and, at the last, three salvos of 
cannon, the muffled drums of each band sounding the 
roll during the firing. 

Not an American soldier present on that day will 
ever forget the deep and solemn impression made upon 
him by this patriotic and dignified ceremony. Patriot- 
ism of the kind that rises and shouts when the stars 
and stripes are waved from the vaudeville stage, or 
that contents itself with standing at the curb and 
applauding other men marching away to war, is not of 
the type that makes possible the perpetuation of the 
Republic. This gratuitous remark really has no fitting 
place in connection with the story of General Chaffee's 
life, but, having been injected in the hour of a new and 
greater war's alarm, it is permitted to stand. 

General Chaffee sailed upon the homeward voyage 
on the transport "Sumner" on October 2, 1902. His 
home-going was attended by a generous outburst of 
affection and regret on the part of those who had shared 
his service, as well as of the many civilians who had 
learned to admire his rugged manhood and sterling 
integrity. When the parting ceremonies and fare- 
wells at his headquarters had been concluded, he 
passed out from the portals of ancient Fort Santiago 
to go aboard the waiting vessel, but turned, walked 
back, extended his hand to the young soldier on guard 
at the entrance, and said: "Good-by, my man; I 
have gone over the road from private to general and so 
may you." 



CHAPTER XXVIII 
HOMEWARD BOUND 

Sailing on the transport "Sumner" with General 
Chaffee and his party were the Civil Governor of the 
Philippines and the usual complement of army people, 
some going to Japan to visit that interesting country, 
while others who had completed their sight-seeing 
took the vacant places aboard ship. In its many 
voyages to and from the Philippines the army has 
grown accustomed to the long and dreary waste of 
waters between San Francisco and Manila, and learned 
by hard and dangerous experience how very often the 
name Pacific is belied by that vast ocean. 

All went well until the vessel left Yokohama on 
October 15, 1902. At noon the following day the 
barometer began to fall rapidly. The wind increased 
and by six o'clock had become frightful. Suddenly 
it died down, and just as the passengers were con- 
gratulating themselves on the fact that the typhoon had 
passed, the gale returned with cyclonic force and con- 
tinued for some hours. During the worst of the 
typhoon a huge wave came aboard, smashed a Hfeboat, 
carried away the chain lashings of the steam launch, 
and threw it out of the chocks and on beam ends afoul 
of the cabin, in which General Chaffee's wife was lying 
ill. Porthole covers were smashed and cabins flooded. 
At one moment the transport appeared as if in a 

259 



26o The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

crater, surrounded by mountains of water, then was 
lifted on the crest of a great wave with water gone from 
under bow and stern. During the storm one of the 
most beautiful lunar rainbows ever seen by those 
aboard appeared a few feet above the ocean. The 
storm abated slowly, but the wind and high seas did 
not die down until noon on October i8. Water on 
the promenade deck rose at times as high as a man's 
head and flooded all the cabins. The experience was 
altogether fearful and can be comprehended only 
by those who have sailed close to the vortex of the 
oriental typhoon. 

Upon his arrival in San Francisco General ChafTee 
was met by a delegation from the Union League Club of 
Chicago with a private car to convey him to that 
city. On November 12, the day following his arrival 
in San Francisco, he was tendered a banquet by the 
Merchants' Association, which was given at the 
Palace Hotel, covers being laid for nearly five hundred 
guests. He left for Chicago after numerous recep- 
tions and arrived in that city on November 17. 

General Chaffee's views on Philippine conditions 
were eagerly sought. Such interviews as were author- 
ized were tactful statements well within the limits of 
truth and good taste. At the moment of his arrival in 
the United States the returns of the recent election 
were being interpreted. It was generally accepted that 
the people had grown impatient with the group of poli- 
ticians who had systematically criticized the conduct of 
affairs in the Philippines, especially in the line of 
detraction of the army and its achievements. The 



Homeward Bound 261 

army had triumphed by its courage and patience in the 
distant islands and had now won another victory at 
the hands of American voters, who had returned some 
of the most violent and virulent of its detractors to 
private life. 

It was generally recognized that when the Ameri- 
can army took over the Philippines the archipelago was 
in a state of disorder verging upon chaos. In the fight- 
ing, and in the restoration of order sufhcient to admit 
of the establishment of civil government, the army 
had done yeoman service. Substantial progress had 
been made, and in all the beneficent work the army 
had borne a conspicuous part. As the true story of 
the operations in the islands was unfolded by the 
returning volunteers, criticism was silenced and fol- 
lowed by amazement that our soldiers should have 
remained, in general, so humane in the face of such 
grave provocation. When the purpose of the con- 
tinued attacks upon the army was comprehended by 
the people, the effect was just the reverse of that 
planned. In the West, where so many survivors of 
the Civil War had taken up their residence, a movement 
of condemnation of those engaged in traducing the 
army increased rapidly, and the tide of criticism was 
stemmed when the Grand Army men began passing 
resolutions in this form : 

Resolved, That the survivors of the war for the Union 
heartily approve the conduct of the United States in the 
war with Spain, the insurrection in the Philippines, and 
China. We denounce as uncalled for and unjust the attack 
upon our army in the Philippines which has sustained 



262 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

so eflEiciently and gallantly the honor of our nation, 
and we extend to that army our congratulations for 
its uniform success and the assurances of our hearty 
support. 

Upon reaching San Francisco General Chaffee was 
greeted with enthusiasm as the warrior who had led 
the China Relief Expedition to the succor of the 
besieged legations in Pekin. In the Philippines he had 
been no less successful. He had borne hard upon the 
lawless element while he extended the hand of kind- 
ness to the law-abiding and worthy. Several months 
before his relief from command in the islands General 
ChafTee sent out invitations to the more prominent 
people of Manila to meet the ofl&cers of the army at 
his quarters. In commenting upon the function a 
Filipino newspaper said : 

Shortly after eleven o'clock numerous carriages passed 
up Calle Real, Malate, to the residence of General Chaffee. 
In the vestibule the guests were received by army ofl&cers 
who, with the frankness of the soldier, combined the 
amiability and manners of the courtier. 

Serious without suspicion, cordial, spontaneous, and 
eminently frank, without descending to the level of famili- 
arity, such was the reception at the palace of the general 
where were met together all who are of consequence and 
significance in the land. 

We saw there the Honorable Commission, Supreme 
Court, Consular Corps, Most Excellent Administrator 
of the Archbishopric of Manila, Most Illustrious Dean, 
Heads of the religious corporations. Rectors of the Uni- 
versity of Santo Thomas, of the Ateneo, and of the Normal. 



Homeward Bound 263 

Well satisfied may be the brave and distinguished 
General Chaffee with the favorable impressions received 
by all his guests. The conquest of the Philippines may 
be accomplished in this way rather than by arms; by 
the latter the physical man may be overcome, but by 
the former are won the heart and good-will essential to the 
real victory. 

General Chaffee's successor in command at Manila, 
after some months of intense application, wrote : 

The burden you left to me has not been an easy one to 
carry, I mean for me to carry. I heard Colonel Hall say 
once that you were able to work more hours and play longer 
than any general he had ever known. That you did not 
find the work light as air I am sure, but you have a faculty 
I envy, that of great concentration and a memory like a 
printing press. 

As General Chaffee journeyed to his station at 
New York he had every reason to feel that the services 
he had rendered beyond the seas were valued at their 
full worth by his countrymen. While the train to 
which his car was attached was standing in the station 
at Chicago the Chinese minister, Mr. Wu-Ting-Fang, 
arrived in the station. When General Chaffee, stand- 
ing upon the rear observation platform of his car, was 
pointed out. Minister Wu approached and made a pro- 
found bow to the general who had been just to China. 

Soon after reaching his station General Chaffee 
was invited to address the Cleveland Chamber of 
Commerce, as were also Generals Corbin and Young, 
the occasion being the fifty-fourth annual dinner. 
General Chaffee was asked to speak about his services 



264 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

in China in 1900. His remarks are of more than ordi- 
nary interest at the present time, when we have been 
perilously, near the vortex of war for more than two 
years and a half, and, notwithstanding all our efforts 
to keep out of it, are now forced by the untoward and 
barbaric course of events to engage in it. 

General Chaffee in his address said, in part : 

Soon after returning from Cuba that summer, I was 
hastily summoned by the Secretary of War, who desired 
that I start for China immediately, as there was a possi- 
bility of trouble there. On three days' notice I left 
Washington and hurried to San Francisco to catch the 
transport ''Grant," accompanied only by a single aide-de- 
camp, a young officer in the service, Lieutenant Harper. 

Before leaving Washington, I requested assistance in 
my undertaking; that is, I desired a staff, for I was unin- 
formed as to Chinese affairs except that I had read in the 
newspapers some reference to the dangerous situation of 
our minister at Pekin. 

The mention of this brings forcibly to mind my embar- 
rassment in hurriedly starting off on an undefined mission 
to a practically unknown country. The bill introduced 
in Congress to establish a General Staff Corps is intended 
to correct a serious omission in our service, which forcibly 
thrust itself forward on my departure for the expedition 
to Pekin. The Chief of Staff, with his assistants, is to be 
prepared on call to submit to the Secretary of War full 
information regarding troops and material, which the 
genius of military men may formulate to meet emergency 
events as well as the ordinary ones that may arise in the 
future affecting, in a military sense, the government of the 
United States. 



Homeward Bound 265 

Now, supposing that the General Staff Corps to be 
created in the proposed bill had been in existence, it would 
have been its duty, at the first sound of alarm in China, to 
have devoted attention to that subject and to have formu- 
lated some method or plan to meet the situation that would 
unfold as the volvune of the alarm increased. It should 
have specified with exactness the force and material which 
the government could assemble at a selected landing in a 
specified time ; the specification to go to the third degree — 
advance, support, reserve. 

It is not necessary to quote General Chaffee's story 
of the expedition. It was an isolated incident, in a 
distant part of the world, which we were enabled to par- 
ticipate in, not without some honor and credit, solely 
because we had troops available in the Philippine 
Islands. The General Staff Corps has been created, 
but its existence has not been a path of roses, and we 
continue to walk blindly up to each emergency expect- 
ing Providence, our isolation, and the spirit of '76 to 
pull us through in some way. 

General Chaffee's new command included the har- 
bor defenses of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. His 
previous experience had been almost wholly with 
mobile troops. His diary recites in detail the steps 
taken to familiarize himself with the defenses, their 
operation, their condition, and their needs. 

The General Staff act was passed early in 1903, 
General Chaffee being selected as a member of a board 
of general officers to recommend the names of ofi&cers 
of the several grades to comprise the initial detail for 
the organization of the new corps. There were many 



266 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

things to be considered in inaugurating this new corps, 
not the least being the desirabihty of its peaceful entry 
into War Department affairs, where the powerful 
bureau chiefs had succeeded during more than half a 
century in repressing every effort of the commanding 
general of the army to broaden the scope of his control 
of military affairs. The real necessity for general staff 
work had been generally recognized within the depart- 
ment, but in the nature of things the tendency of any 
bureau system is to create resentfulness at presumed 
interference in legalized or accustomed prerogatives. 

The substitution of a chief of staff, acting in the 
name and by authority of the Secretary of War, and 
the elimination of the ofhce of commanding general of 
the army, were changes deemed essential to relieve the 
administration from never-ending conflict, both an- 
noying and detrimental to the public interests. 



CHAPTER XXIX 
CHIEF OF STAFF 

When the General Staff was organized in 1903, 
the President appointed Lieutenant General Young as 
chief of staff and a few weeks later made known his 
intention to appoint General Chaffee to succeed General 
Young upon his retirement. At this time General 
Chaffee was subjected to some rude awakenings. He 
had not solicited any of the promotions which had 
come to him in recent years, and was deeply chagrined 
to learn the extent to which envy and ambition had 
affected some of those who had looked forward to 
preferment and power. His notes record a sense of 
sincere regret that some of those whom he held in high 
esteem could not have been advanced and saved from 
that wounded pride which attends the closing days of 
so many army careers. 

On October 2, 1903, General Chaffee was detailed as 
a member of the General Staff Corps, relieving General 
Corbin, who was assigned to command the Department 
of the East, the command vacated by General Chaffee. 
The duties of the assistant chief of staff had not yet 
been standardized, for the new corps was still groping for 
the best system of accomplishing the objects for which 
it was created and was without any available prece- 
dents for action. General Chaffee was entirely familiar 
with the employment of troops and the administration 

267 



268 The Life of Lieutenant General Chajffee 

of their affairs. His reputation as an experienced 
and brave soldier inspired men of similar type to 
lend their efforts to the successful accomplishment of 
his projects and plans. It was not a simple matter for 
him to take up his new duties, for he was without 
experience in War Department administration. He 
did not spare himself, but concentrated upon the new 
duties with the energy and power of application for 
which he was well known throughout the army. 

About three months after General Chaffee joined 
the General Staff Corps the retirement of General 
Young became effective through the operation of law, 
and on January 9, 1904, General Chaffee was pro- 
moted to the highest grade in the army, lieutenant 
general, and was detailed as chief of staff. He made 
many notes of his observations of the methods in vogue 
in and about the- War Department, and promptly 
reached the conclusion that some in authority, who had 
not agreed entirely with the retiring secretary of war, 
Elihu Root, in the reforms introduced during his admin- 
istration, were determined upon a reactionary campaign. 
General Chaffee underestimated neither their influence 
nor their power, but set himself sternly against the 
current of reaction and aroused much hostility. He 
was convinced that the small group had planned a 
course of action that would deprive the nation of the 
benefits contemplated by the establishment of the 
General Staff Corps unless the scheming was stopped. 
The detail system also met a determined opposition 
which boded ill for its survival unless the President 
and Secretary of War could be warned and induced 



Chief of Staff 269 

to announce their convictions in favor of it. General 
Chaffee had to fight from the start to the finish of his 
service, as chief of staff, concerning these and other 
bureau activities which monopolized much of his time 
and attention and prevented consideration of the 
grave questions involved in the development of the 
General Staff Corps. The fact that the President was 
known to favor both the General Staff and the detail 
system is believed to be all that prevented a success- 
ful combination of interests against their continuance 
except in a mutilated and ineffective form. 

During the year 1904 a statue of Frederick the 
Great, presented to the nation by Emperor William, was 
unveiled at the Army War College. The official and 
social society of Washington assembled for the cere- 
monies. The presentation on behalf of the German 
Emperor was made by his adjutant general. Lieutenant 
General von Loewenfeld. The unveiling was per- 
formed by Baroness von Sternberg. The address 
of welcome was delivered by President Roosevelt. 
General Chaffee then gave the formal address of the 
occasion. Nothing can better illustrate General Chaf- 
fee's growth and development, along with high com- 
mand and its requirements, than the forceful and 
attractive manner in which he delivered his well-chosen 
remarks. One of the most popular of the many pubUc 
speakers of Washington of that time took occasion to 
send him a note: 

Allow me to offer my congratulations upon your admir- 
able address at the unveiling of the statue of Frederick the 
Great. It could not have been better. 



270 The Life of Lieutenant General Chajffee 

A well-known public official wrote : 

You made a good speech on Saturday. There are not 
many military men that can get up and look at an audience 
and talk straight at them as you did. You very much 
pleased the group where I sat. 

One who observed him at close range wrote of the 
occasion : 

One has only to stand near General Chaffee, the lieuten- 
ant general of the United States Army, to note the effect 
of years of discipline furrowed in his face. Without 
exception, I think he has the strongest features of any man 
whom I have ever met. The high forehead, deep-set eyes, 
prominent cheekbones, and determined mouth, all denote 
the commander of men. Surely here is a man of whom our 
country should be proud. 

Nearly twenty years prior to the appointment of 
General Chaffee as chief of staff a group of distinguished 
officers comprising the Endicott Board considered 
the questions involved in our coast or harbor defense 
system. Their report enunciated sound military prin- 
ciples and recommended the application of these 
principles to the conditions then existing. During 
the intervening years so many conditions had been 
modified, and the engines and implements of war 
had been so materially improved, that it was deter- 
mined early in 1905 to convene a new board to consider 
the subject and determine upon the most economical 
and advantageous methods of completing the fixed and 
floating armament, mobile torpedoes, submarine mines, 
and other defensive appliances essential to harbor 



Chief of Staff 271 

defense. The Secretary of War was detailed by the 
President to preside over the investigations of this 
board, General Chaffee becoming the senior of the 
army and navy members. The business was most 
important and occupied the careful attention of 
General Chaffee. He had availed himself of an oppor- 
tunity, while department commander, to inspect 
carefully the harbor defenses of the Atlantic and Gulf 
coasts, and preserved a volume of detailed notes on the 
subject which served him to good purpose as a member 
of the board. 

As the senior general of the army General Chaffee 
was requested to perform the functions of grand 
marshal of the inaugural parade on March 4, 1905. 
Among his aides on that occasion were Cadets Adna R. 
Chaffee, Jr., Sherman Miles, and Charles B. Gatewood. 

During the summer of 1905, at the invitation of the 
French government, President Roosevelt sent General 
Chaffee, with a party of five other officers, to attend 
the army maneuvers held in the vicinity of Brienne-le- 
Chateau. It was between this town and the neigh- 
boring one of La Rothiere that, on February i, 1814, 
Napoleon, with 37,000 men and 128 guns, held back 
the alhes — Austrians, Prussians, and Bavarians, total- 
ing 102,000 men and 286 guns. General Chaffee 
sailed from New York on August 19, arriving at 
Brienne on September 7, 1905. Here the American 
party was met by the commander of the maneuvers, 
General Brugere, and his staff, and escorted to the 
chateau of the Prince de Beauffrement, which had been 
courteously placed at the disposal of General Chaffee's 



272 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

party as the specially invited guests of the French 
nation. 

General Brugere had been sent to the United States 
on a mission a few years previously to represent the 
French government upon the occasion of the dedication 
of the Rochambeau monument opposite the White 
House in the park, which also contains the monuments 
erected to commemorate the services in the Revolution 
of Lafayette, von Steuben, and Kosciusko. General 
Brugere had a keen sense of appreciation of the hos- 
pitable manner in which his mission had been welcomed 
to our shores, and took occasion to manifest it by 
extending every courtesy to the American visitors. 
This was particularly gratifying, as General Chaffee 
was aware of the then very strained relations between 
France and Germany, due to the attitude of the latter 
in the Morocco incident. The Americans were the 
only foreign officers who were permitted to witness 
the cavalry engagement which opened the maneuvers 
and the only foreign officers who were allowed to be 
present at the critique following each day's maneuvers. 

At the conclusion of the maneuvers General 
Chaffee entertained General Brugere and a number of 
French officers at dinner in Paris. During the years 
which had elapsed since the beginning of the war 
with Spain General Chaffee had found himself, on 
many occasions, in the role of speaker at functions at 
which were present guests of other countries. His 
remarks on the occasion when the French generals were 
entertained were most felicitious. As head of the mis- 
sion General Chaffee had to speak at nearly every 



Chief of Staff 273 

function attended in France. He was credited by his 
comrades as having shown remarkable talent for saying 
just the right thing on each occasion without taking 
sides in any way in the acute international situation 
then existing. His sincerity of manner and of speech 
made him many friends among the French officers with 
whom he came in contact. 

Concluding his mission in France, General Chaffee 
proceeded to England, where he was the guest of 
Colonel Arthur Lee, Civil Lord of the Admiralty, who, 
it will be remembered, was the British mihtary attache 
in Washington- in 1898 and accompanied General 
Chaffee in his reconnaissances prior to the battle of 
Santiago, being with him also during the bloody 
encounter at El Caney. General Chaffee was later 
entertained by the American ambassador, Mr. White- 
law Reid, at his country residence. Among other 
guests invited by the ambassador was General Earl 
Roberts, from whom General Chaffee received the 
following note : 

Balmoral Castle, 3rd October, 1905 
Dear General Chaffee: 

I am much concerned at not being in London while 
you are there, the more so as I was unable to accept 
Mr. and Mrs. Whitelaw Reid's invitation to pay them a 
visit to have the honor of meeting you. 

I hope to be passing through London on Monday next, 
and would call at the Metropole about 12 noon if you 
would be at home then. 

Perhaps you would very kindly let me know by telegram. 

Believe me Yours very truly, 

Roberts 



274 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

The meeting of these two battle-scarred veterans 
of many campaigns was full of interest. During their 
interview a question was asked as to what was done 
for General Chaffee by his government in recognition 
of his success in China in comparison with the honors 
and emoluments showered upon successful British 
commanders. The pathetic picture of our most 
renowned soldier, General Grant, commander of all 
our armies and twice President, spending his dying 
hours in writing a book that his widow might not be 
left in poverty, was all that needed to be recalled to 
answer the question. A modest pay in life for services 
of a high order, followed in death by pensions more 
noted for numbers than for individual value, is the 
measure of the nation's gratitude. Republics are 
not wholly ungrateful in the mass, but when the 
rewards of exceptional service are considered in 
comparison with what prevails abroad one is led to 
think the nation is to be congratulated upon being 
always able to command the services of her bravest 
and best men. 

General Chaffee had made many friends among the 
British officers in China, and his visit to England was 
filled with incidents pleasantly remembered in after- 
years. Joined by others of his mission who had 
remained longer in France, General Chaffee sailed for 
New York on October 7, 1905. 

During the period of the occupation of Pekin by the 
allies General Chaffee was furnished with a large fund 
to meet the expenses of official entertaining. It sub- 
sequently transpired that he had expended his own 



Chief of Staff 275 

funds for the purpose in the most liberal manner, 
returning to the Treasury nearly all the amount placed 
to his credit by the government. This having come to 
the knowledge of the President prior to the departure 
of the mission to France, he sent the following letter to 
General Chaffee: 

White House 
Persotml Washington, July 3, 1905 

Dear General Chaffee: 

The enclosed letter is for you in your capacity as Chief 
of Staff. This note is to tell you personally that while 
at the French maneuvers you are not to spend your own 
money. You are sent out to represent the Government, 
and I do not intend thereby to penalize you. So, my dear 
General, understand that my orders are that all your 
expenditures for reasonable entertaining and the like should 
be credited to this Government. You are one of the men 
who if not closely watched insist upon charging to their 
own slender salaries matters that should properly be 
charged to the Government. 

With all good wishes, 

Sincerely yours, 

Theodore Roosevelt 

While he was at the head of the American military 
mission in France the French government conferred 
upon General Chaffee the order of the Legion of Honor: 

Embassy of the French Republic to the United States 
General- Washington, November 14, 1905 

The Government of the Republic has sent me a com- 
mission as Grand Officer of the National Order of the Legion 



276 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

of Honor, the insignia of which was sent you while you were 
at the head of the American military mission to the last 
grand maneuvers of the French Army. 

I find particular pleasure in transmitting to you, in 
compliance with instructions from my government, this 
diploma, which is intended to recall to you the visit that 
you made to France, which our army will hold in pleasant 
remembrance. 

Believe me, General, with assurances of highest con- 
sideration, JUSSERAND 

General Chaffee was unable to accept the decoration 
without authority of Congress. This was requested, 
as shown by the following letter, but no action was 
ever taken upon the request: 

Department of State 

Washington, December 21, 1905 
The Honorable 
The Secretary of War 

Sir: In reply to your letter of the 8th instant, I have 
the honor to advise you that under date of the i6th instant, 
application was made to Congress for permission to enable 
Lieutenant General Chaffee to accept the decoration of 
Grand Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor 
conferred upon him by the French Government. 

I have the honor to be, sir. 

Your obedient servant, 

Elihu Root 

Soon after his return to Washington General 
Chaffee was elected an honorary member of the Society 
of the Cincinnati. 



Chief of Staf 277 

One of the highest functions of the Chief of Staff 
is that embraced in the legal requirement that he shall 
make recommendations from time to time concerning 
the promotions and assignments of officers where 
selection is involved. General Chaffee was of the 
opinion that Major General Bates, by long years of 
excellent service, had earned promotion, and early in 
1905, as chief of staff, he had recommended that General 
Bates should succeed him in the office of lieutenant 
general, a recommendation approved by the President. 
At the time of General Chaffee's promotion to the 
grade of lieutenant general it had been in contempla- 
tion that Major General Corbin should succeed to 
the office upon General Chaffee's retirement, and that 
Major General MacArthur should succeed General 
Corbin. The approval of General Chaffee's recom- 
mendation for the promotion of General Bates would 
have operated to reduce the period during which 
General Corbin would serve as lieutenant general to a 
few weeks. Upon General Corbin's presentation of his 
views it was arranged, with the approval of the Presi- 
dent, that General Chaffee should retire a few weeks 
before reaching the age Hmit and that General Bates 
should thereupon be promoted to serve until the date 
at which General Chaffee would have retired for age. 

In this way the period of General Corbin's service in 
the grade of lieutenant general was not curtailed. In 
the execution of this arrangement General Chaffee 
requested, on January 15, 1906, to be relieved from 
duty as chief of staff, and on February i, 1906, was 
retired after over forty-four years of service. 



CHAPTER XXX 
RETIREMENT 

A few days after his retirement from active service 
General Chaffee sailed with a large party on the trans- 
port " Sumner" to attend, as president of the Society of 
Santiago de Cuba, the dedication exercises incident 
to the unveiling of the battle monument on Fort 
El Viso, El Caney, Cuba. The exercises took place 
on February 14, 1906, and included addresses by Lieu- 
tenant General Young, Lieutenant General Bates, 
Rear Admiral Clark of "Oregon" fame, Rear Admiral 
Higginson, and others. These exercises took cogni- 
zance of the plans inaugurated by the Santiago Battle- 
field Commission for the erection of numerous monu- 
ments and tablets to commemorate the splendid 
services of the army in the Santiago campaign. 

The day following his retirement General Chaffee 
was authorized to visit Mexico. Soon after his re- 
turn from the trip to the Santiago battlefield he 
availed himself of the opportunity to make his long- 
contemplated visit to the neighboring republic. While 
in the city of Mexico he received a telegram requesting 
him to accept the presidency of the American Society 
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in New 
York City, carrying a pecuniary remuneration about 
double that of the office he accepted later in California. 
Even the President wrote urging him to accept the 
New York offer: 

278 



Retirement 279 

The White House 
Washington, March 17, 1906 
My dear General Chaffee : 

The enclosed letter explains itself. I do not think you 
could do a better or more honorable work than to take this 
position, and I should consider the Society for the Preven- 
tion of Cruelty to Animals more than fortunate if it suc- 
ceeded in securing your services. 

With regards, Sincerely yours, 

Theodore Roosevelt 

Through an existence of many years the society had 
consistently carried forward its humane work in behalf 
of the animals which have so loyally served man in all 
his migrations, and it appealed to General Chaffee's 
sympathies. He had determined, however, to make 
his future home in California and was planning to go 
there as soon as his travels were completed. 

He was appointed a member of the Board of Visitors 
to the Military Academy at West Point in 1906, and 
had the pleasure of seeing his own son and namesake 
receive his diploma as one of the members of the gradu- 
ating class. It is a noteworthy fact that those officers 
who have won high recognition in the army without 
the benefit of the instruction imparted at West Point 
almost invariably seek cadet appointments for their 
sons. With first-hand opportunities to observe the 
effects of the West Point training and code of ethics, 
they pay a sincere tribute in desiring to have their sons 
given the advantages of which they were deprived. 
Americans generally may balk at taking command of a 



28o The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

battleship, but few of them would hesitate to take 
command of a regiment or an army, a position for 
which they had received no training whatever. All 
our wars have been of such character as to encourage 
the opinion that those who raise the volunteer regi- 
ments are entitled to the high offices. The author has 
vivid recollections of having been directed to supply 
trained staff officers to appointees of this character 
made by the President during the war with Spain, 
notwithstanding the Civil War had indelibly impressed 
upon the volunteers of that conflict the fact that trained 
officers were essential to confidence and success in 
campaign and battle. 

Many years ago, when the Indian wars had some- 
what subsided, the headquarters of the department 
was moved from Arizona and established at Los 
Angeles, California. General Chaffee was serving 
as one of the headquarters staff at the time, and 
be(!ame so favorably impressed with the climate and 
people that he planned to return there and make a 
home when his active service should be completed. 
This is an ideal — the pleasures of a permanent abode — 
which lingers in the hearts and minds of soldiers who 
follow the flag, but, Hke other dreams, usually proves 
to be a fond illusion. In General Chaffee's case his 
visions of home came true, but his active life was not 
yet over. 

Los Angeles had long since outgrown the limits set 
by the most optimistic of its dreaming Californians. 
The question of increased water supply had ceased to 
be one of theory, but had become one of pressing 



Retirement 281 

necessity. Municipal ownership on a large scale 
and with provisions for future growth was among the 
things in men's minds. Eminent engineers had 
investigated every source of water supply, beneath the 
surface as well as above ground, for a distance of a 
hundred miles from the city, and the result was estab- 
lished with mathematical accuracy that if the ratio 
of increase of population continued for twenty-five 
years the limit of water supply for Los Angeles and 
contiguous territory would be reached. In the face 
of the limitations which nature had allotted to Los 
Angeles her citizens manifested a faith in the future 
which has few parallels in municipal history. 

Two hundred and ninety miles away the coveted 
water supply was found in the snow-clad Sierra 
Nevadas. The surveys indicated that natural water- 
ways could be utilized to convey the waters from the 
Sierra Nevada watershed for about sixty miles, and 
that it would be necessary to construct an artificial 
waterway for the remaining two hundred and thirty 
miles, twenty-nine miles of which consist of tunnels 
through granite mountains, nine miles of steel siphons, 
and three miles of open flumes. The desert section 
of one hundred and ninety-nine miles was planned as a 
closed concrete flume. The system was designed 
to deliver two hundred and fifty-nine million gallons 
of water daily. 

In entering upon the preliminary work of this mighty 
project the city created a Board of Aqueduct Com- 
missioners and invited General Chaffee to become 
chairman of the board. The project was on such a 



282 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

gigantic scale that honesty of administration and 
construction was of the highest importance if it was 
to be financed at reasonable rates by necessary bond 
issues. General Chaffee's capacity for organization, 
his masterly influence over men, and his unquestioned 
integrity were endowments which made him the man 
of all men desired to head the board destined to control 
the aqueduct construction. The contemplated bond 
issues of upward of $25,000,000 made men fearful of 
the lack of discipline and graft so often observed in 
public works of municipalities. It was essential that 
once the work was begun the guiding hand should be 
one which would not waver through indecision of 
purpose or doubt as to method. 

Such were the conditions under which General 
Chaffee took up the great work. As president of the 
Board of Public Works he was in direct control of 
the aqueduct construction, and upon him fell the 
great responsibility. He also acted as chairman of an 
advisory committee which considered every plan and 
rendered its opinion as to whether it should be approved 
or rejected by the Board of Public Works. The great 
work was completed and formally opened during 
November, 19 13, General Chaffee being present and 
giving the order to the men at the wheels to open the 
water gates. The general's son, Lieutenant Adna R. 
Chaffee, Jr., was assigned with the engineer's assistants 
to turn the wheels and start the water. 

In the earlier years of the Republic the main reli- 
ance of the nation for engineering direction was upon 
the body of military engineers trained at West Point. 




LIEUTENANT GENERAL CHAFFEE AFTER RETIREMENT 



Retirement 283 

Nearly all of the earlier railroad surveys and construc- 
tion were undertaken by ofl&cers or former officers of the 
army. With Mulholland available for the Los Angeles 
project there was no need of army engineers, but 
the services rendered by General Chaffee, as the presi- 
dent of the Board of Public Works, will remain as one 
of the most worthy achievements of a long and exceed- 
ingly active career. He had gone to make his home 
among the people of Los Angeles, and he felt the call 
of duty when he responded to the invitation to take 
up anew the activities of so responsible an office — 
one involving such great consequences in event of 
failure or even falling short of expectations. His 
name and fame are secure so long as the liquid snows 
of the Sierra Nevadas continue to pour their Hfe-giving 
currents into the garden spot hemmed in between the 
sea and the deserts lying behind the Sierra Madres, 

With the exception of certain labor disputes of a 
partisan nature, involving strike conditions, the 
aqueduct was completed without a scandal, without 
criminal action, and practically without a civil action, 
a record seldom equaled and never surpassed in public 
works of such dimensions. General Chaffee remained 
with the work until it was completed. He had given 
to the problems of construction five years of his life, 
working as many hours and as faithfully as any minor 
employee, and for a smaller compensation than had 
been offered him as the perfunctory head of the Society 
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The one 
position he regarded as a call for manhood service, the 
other as a graciously tendered sinecure, and in choosing 



284 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

between these there could be no hesitation on the part 
of a man of General Chaffee's character. 

He had visited Los Angeles at distant intervals and 
had observed its metamorphosis from a prosperous 
village to a modern city. The population in 1870 was 
5,614; in 1890 it had grown to 50,395, and at the time 
of his service on the Board of Public Works it had 
passed well beyond 300,000, and was still increasing 
rapidly. The upbuilding of California missions from 
the little agricultural pueblos to modern American cities 
contains the germ of many romances — ^stories which 
never grow old. The statesmanship and far-sighted 
policy of the courageous men who planned for the 
future of Los Angeles have made their day and genera- 
tion epochal in the history of California. 

After years of intense application to the work 
General Chaffee had decided to decline reappointment 
on the Board of Public Works, as he did not desire to 
continue on the board performing minor or perfunctory 
services. Such a sentiment in behalf of his continuance 
was aroused, however, that he changed his mind. The 
following communication from the president of the 
Bureau of Water Works and Supply is typical of many 
other letters : 

Los Angeles, Cal., Dec. 18, 191 1 
My dear General Chaffee : 

I have just heard the good news that there is a possi- 
bility that you might reconsider your conclusion to decline 
reappointment on the Board of Public Works, and that 
your invaluable services at the head of the Aqueduct 
Board might be continued for a while at least. 



Retirement 285 

In common with all who have knowledge of your 
services, I have felt that to lose them, especially at this 
juncture, would be one of the gravest public calamities 
that could befall our city. I therefore venture to express 
my most earnest hope that you will accept the reappoint- 
ment tendered you. Your hfe has been given to the public 
service and most assuredly the pubUc has never stood in 
greater need of your services than do Los Angeles and 
southern California today in the completion of the mag- 
nificent work which your genius, experience, and devotion 
have so successfully accomplished. 

We cannot get along without you, General. Stay by us at 
least until the end is in sight. Yours sincerely, 

H. T. Lee 

The policy advocated by General Chaffee was to 
follow the example of the mission padres and extend 
the boundaries of the city to the limits that could be 
permanently and adequately served; then to apply the 
water as required for domestic uses in the city, utilizing 
the surplus for agricultural purposes on the surround- 
ing lands until they should be built upon. The con- 
trolling feature of this plan was to place water on the 
lands that were contiguous to the city and which 
would become a part of it eventually, and thus avoid 
the difficulties which would arise from a distribution 
to remote areas from which it might subsequently 
be necessary to withdraw it. As a result of this policy 
the increase in land values was nearly twice the cost of 
the aqueduct. It was estimated that the annual value 
of crops from land brought under cultivation would 
equal half the total expense of construction of the 
aqueduct. The remarkable thing about this great 



286 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

work is the fact that it was constructed within the 
estimates, which, considering the large increase of land 
values, has made it an achievement worthy of all praise. 

During the time General Chaffee was engaged with 
the vast business of aqueduct construction he also took 
an active interest in other important matters. None 
of these brought him more satisfaction and pleasure 
than his connection with the establishment of the 
Southwest Museum at Los Angeles. About 1903 
there was organized the Southwest Society, which 
began the collection of relics of educational value, 
and, working along the hnes of high endeavor, had 
through its own explorations, by gift, and by purchase 
gathered together the nucleus of a fine museum. In 
order to serve science and promote education by making 
the collections available, a group of buildings was ne- 
cessary. Out of this movement grew the establishment 
of the Southwest Museum, of which General Chaffee 
became the first president, presiding at the dedication 
exercises. On behalf of the Southwest Society its 
vice-president presented a deed to the site selected 
for the erection of the museum buildings and made a 
formal conveyance to the Southwest Museum of its 
collections and equipment. General Chaffee, on be- 
half of the Southwest Museum, accepted the bequest 
along with a certified check for beginning construc- 
tion of the buildings. The dedication exercises were 
held on November 16, 191 2, when ground was broken 
for the first building. 

When General Fremont, who is revered as the man 
who made California a part of the Union, reached 



Retirement 287 

the crest of the Rocky Mountains on his westward 
journey, he unfurled his flag in token of his nation's 
supremacy in those parts. The flag was bequeathed 
by him to his oldest daughter. On his return from his 
expedition the tattered and torn flag was patched by 
his wife with silk from her wedding gown. At the 
dedication exercises the identical flag was hoisted by 
Elizabeth Benton Fremont, the Pathfinder's daughter, 
and then transferred as a bequest to the Southwest 
Museum. Other bequests of highest value were made, 
and the new museum was started upon its way. With 
the sun shining brightly, and the gentle southwest 
wind stirring the soft and balmy California air, the 
ceremonies closed with the assurance that dreams 
would come true. As with all things which he under- 
took, the buildings grew rapidly, and General ChafTee 
lived to see another record of achievement added to his 
already long Kst of things accomphshed. 

General Chaffee had fought too many battles for his 
country to withdraw entirely from public discussion of 
questions involving the welfare of the nation. He 
clearly foresaw that our peace might be challenged 
some day merely because of our unpreparedness, and 
he fearlessly gave expression to his opinion that nothing 
short of universal training would save us from war. He 
had recently visited England, where that grand old 
veteran of the wars of many lands was endeavoring 
to drive home the lessons of South Africa, and to bring 
about the adoption of national service, a word coined to 
avoid the British repugnance to the word "conscrip- 
tion." Had England heeded Lord Roberts, it is 



288 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

seriously contended that Germany would have hesitated 
to engage her in 191 4, and yet a member of Parliament 
arose in that body and solemnly asked if there was no 
way by which Lord Roberts could be deprived of his 
pension for suggesting so monstrous a proposition as 
compulsory military service. 

It has ever been the rule of democracies to strain and 
balk at the suggestions of far-seeing leaders, yet in the 
end to accept once-despised doctrine and stand amazed 
that they had ever faltered in acceptance of issues so 
clear. General Chaffee was not destined to see the 
verification of his predictions, but at the hour of this 
writing Congress has overwhelmingly voted for a joint 
resolution declaring war with Germany, and the signing 
of the resolution by the President has been followed 
by the recommendation for legislation and the enact- 
ment of provisions for selective draft which aim to fill 
the ranks of the great army which will be needed if we 
are to fulfil our part in the existing war in Europe. 

Helpless peoples, with injustice rankling in their 
hearts, may grow rebellious, but liberty must still be 
won by strong battalions. The problems of advan- 
cing civilization, instead of growing simpler, are becom- 
ing more varied and complex through territorial 
expansion, race antagonism, and unequal distribution 
of economic power. Nations unable or unwilling to 
defend their rights are accorded scant respect. No 
desire for peace and no kindness of heart can turn 
aside the inexorable decrees of destiny which will bring 
wars in future as they have in the past. 



CHAPTER XXXI 
THE PASSING OF A LEADER 

General Chaffee, with a supreme sense of duty, had 
given his time and strength to the pubHc service, 
mihtary and civil, for more than fifty years. So long 
as he had great responsibilities the ties that bound 
him took precedence of all personal inclinations. 
Surrendering the most exalted ofhce in the army, he 
had taken up civil work in Los Angeles and had, by 
common consent, come to be recognized as the most 
distinguished citizen of that city. There seemed no 
longer any serious work at hand to compensate him for 
surrendering the privileges of travel, and he was 
reluctant to reduce his horizon to a life of ease and 
personal comfort. With the completion of the great 
aqueduct and the success of the Southwest Museum 
assured he decided to withdraw from all occupations 
of a business nature and rest upon his laurels. 

His whole life had been an inspiration to those 
who were privileged to serve with him, while those 
who were in authority over him found in his career the 
legitimate working out of a combination of sterling 
integrity, a high sense of honor, unflinching and daunt- 
less courage, and absolute faithfulness to duty. His 
scorn of expediency, his contempt of all things not 
open and above board, and his complete lack of respect 

289 



290 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 

for the adroit maneuvers of diplomacy gave him a 
reputation for brusqueness. 

His aggressive quahties, coupled with intuition and 
almost divine common sense, made him a leader whom 
men followed and obeyed unquestioningly. He was 
essentially a man of action. No. man ever exhibited 
a higher or more profound sense of the obligations of 
leadership. No detail was too small for his attention, 
no measure too exalted for his understanding. He 
gave himself unreservedly to the accomplishment of 
every legitimate purpose in all his fields of duty. He 
grew with responsibilities, and his prodigious capacity 
for work was a source of envy to his colaborers. With 
his objective to light the way he was fearless and tireless 
in execution. The preferments and promotions which 
came to him during his long military career were as 
often attributable to desire for his further services as 
they were as rewards for past achievement. 

Fortunate the nation which can command the 
services of such men. The lesson of their lives is of 
utmost value to the Republic and should not be lost. 
In the American Army the door of opportunity is always 
open, but success does not come by merely entering. 
Ambition may beckon onward and upward, but the 
pinnacle of success is reached only as the result of 
years of self-discipline and proved ability. It has 
remained for General Chaffee to be the only man in a 
century to have gone over the road from the lowest to 
the highest grade in the Regular Army. The most 
casual student of his career cannot fail to perceive 
that recognition and advancement came to him through 



The Passing of a Leader 291 

highly meritorious and long-continued performance of 
duty, constituting in the aggregate an exceptional 
record of achievement. 

In following General Chaffee through his long 
military career, the closer the investigation the greater 
he becomes in the character of soldier and leader. He 
never had the opportunity to display the qualities of a 
Washington, a Grant, or a Lee, but not one of those 
masters would have failed to rejoice in having a Chaffee 
to lead his forces in battle or to carry to completion 
distant and dangerous enterprises. 

With all his accredited sternness of manner on duty 
his first thought after every battle was of the anxious 
ones at home. His affection for his own family and 
concern for their well-being and comfort became com- 
prehensively understood by the author during forty 
years of friendship and intimacy. 

General Chaffee had now passed the allotted three 
score years and ten. Considering the infinite vicissi- 
tudes, exposure, and hardships which he had ever shared 
with his men without thought of shielding himself, the 
sands in the glass of life had run long. The end was 
now approaching. During the autumn he became 
seriously ill with a complicated case of typhoid pneu- 
monia and died at his home in Los Angeles on Novem- 
ber I, 1914. 

It was a distinct shock to the community to learn 
of the passing of its most respected and distinguished 
citizen. From all parts of the world came messages 
of affection and grief. Privates and teamsters vied 
with generals and presidents in making known their 



292 The Life of Lieutenant General Chaffee 

sense of the nation's loss. As his body was escorted to 
the station to begin the long journey across the conti- 
nent, the most profound evidences of sorrow were 
evident on every hand. 

He was buried in America's Valhalla — Arlington 
Cemetery — with the high honors due his military 
rank. When a soldier of the type portrayed in the 
life and services of General Chaffee passes to the great 
beyond, and his mortal remains are laid away among 
those of the leaders and heroes on that beautiful 
crest overlooking the capital of the nation, imagina- 
tion pictures the spirit host assembling at the sound 
of muffled drums from the land of perpetual dreams 
and hovering tenderly above the grave of one who 
never missed a battle except when laid low by wounds 
of a previous one, and who went to his God unabashed 
and unafraid. 



INDEX 



INDEX 



Aldie, battle of, 30 

Alger, R. A., 147 

Apaches, history of, 81, 82, 83 

Bates, General, 277 
Beverly Ford, battle of, 27 
Biddle, Major James, loi 
Brooke, Major General J. R., 128, 

166, 167, 170, 25s 
Brugere, General, 271, 272 
Buford, General, 32 

Capture of Pekin, 186 
Cedar Creek, battle of, 45 
Cervera, Admiral, 145 
Chaffee, Grace Hyde, 5 
Chaffee, Orestes P., 5 
Chaffee, Sherburn Howard, 6 
Chaffee, Thomas, 5 
Chaffee, Truman Bibbins, 5 
Chaffee, Truman Everal, 5 
Cheating of Indians, 86, 87, 88 
Chevelon's Fork, Indian fight, 96, 97 
China Relief Expedition, 175 
Clover Hill, battle of, 49 
Comanches' fight with Quahada 

band, 63, 64, 65 
Conger, minister to China, 193, 197, 

198, 208 
Corbin, H. C, Adjutant General, 

166, 182, 185, 198, 25s, 263, 277 
Crawford, Captain Emmet, 100, 102, 

104, 109, 114, 115 
Crook, General George, 99, 100, loi, 

102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 109, 113, 

"4, iiS 
Custer, General, 37 

Daggett, Colonel, 194 

Dinwiddle Court House, battle of, 48 



Dorward, General A. R. F., British 

Army, 179 
Dragon, Military Order of the, 221 
Dyer, Elizabeth, 6 

El Caney, battle of, 142; ofiicial re- 
port of, 159-64 

Fairfield, battle of, 30 

Falls Church, combat of, 20 

Fishers Hill, battle of, 44 

Fisk, General, 86 

Five Forks, battle of, 48 

Fredericksburg, battle of, 22, 23 

Fremont, General, 286 

Gatewood, Lieutenant Charles B., 

115 
Geronimo, 93; campaign, 109, 116 
Gettysburg, battle of, 30 
Ghost Dance, 90, 91, 92, 119 
Grafton, Homer E., 250 
Gregg, General, 30 

Hampton, General Wade, 24, 39 
Harris Light Cavalry, ^^ 
Hawe's Shop, battle of, 38 
Hay, John, 229, 235 
Hyde, Humphrey, 5 
Indian agent, 84 
Indians, cheating of, 86, 87, 88 
Josanie, Indian raider, iii, 115 
Jusserand, Ambassador, 276 

Kent, General, 138 

Lamar, Hon. L. Q. C, 69 
Lawton, Captain, no; General, 

133. 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 

142, IS4 
Lee, Captain Arthur H., British 

attach^, 143, 144, 273 



29s 



296 The Life of Lieutenant General Chafee 



Lee, General Fitzhugh, 39 

Lee, H. T., 285 

Lee, General Robert E., 49 

Li Hung Chang, 181, 197, 210, 211, 

219, 220 
Linares, General, 148 
Lincoln, President, 7, 10, 29 
Linivitch, General, 203 
Liscum, Colonel E. H., 179 
Lowell, Charles Russell, 10, 11, 12, 

13, 14, 17, 18, 45, 46 
Lowell, James Russell, 10 

MacArthur, General Arthur, 240, 

242, 277 
McComas, Charlie, loi, 105 
McComas, Judge, loi 
McKinley, WiUiam, 199, 228, 257 
McLellan, Lieutenant, 50 
Malvern Hill, battle of, 19 
Merritt, General, 47 
Middleburg, battle of, 30 
Miles, Colonel, 139 
Miles, General N. A., 70, 74 
Mosby, Colonel, 32 

Peaches, Indian guide, 102, 105 
Pekin, capture of, 186 
Pleasanton, General, 19, 21, 28 

Quahada band, Comanches' fight 
with, 63, 64, 65 

Reilly, Captain H. J., 194 

Remey, Admiral, 182 

Resignation of A. R. Chaffee, ■^7, 58, 

59, 60, 61, 62 
Roberts, General Earl, 273 
Roosevelt, Theodore, 139, 179, 222, 

249, 254, 271, 275, 279 
Root, Elihu, 185, 206, 222, 276 
Roster, Sixth United States Cavalry, 

54, SS 
Sailors Creek, battle of, 50 
Sampson, Admiral, 133 



Sanders, Captain William P., 17, 18, 

20, 21, 24 
Santiago, campaign of, 134 
Seven Days' Battle, 18 
Seymour, Admiral, British Navy, 

176 
Shafter, General, 130, 132, 137, 138, 

141, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 158 
Sheridan, General, 35, 36, 37, 38, 43, 

44, 46, 50 
Slatersville, battle of, 17 
Spain, war with, 123 
Squires, H. G., 230 
Stanton, Edwin M., 27 
Stephens, Lon V., 128 
Stoneman's Raid, 26, 27 
Stuart, General, 36 
Sugar Loaf Mountain, battle of, 20 

Taft, William Howard, 236, 243, 

248, 249 
Torbert, General, 46 
Todd's Tavern, battle of, 36 
Toral, General Jose, 146, 147, 149 
Trevilians Station, battle of, 39 

Upperville, battle of, 30 

Wade, General, 130 

Waldersee, Count von, 205, 209, 210, 

211, 213, 219, 224, 230, 231, 232 
War with Spain, 123 
Washington, General George, 74 
Wheeler, General, 137, 138, 139, 140 
Williamsburg, battle of, 16 
Wilson, General James H., 43 
Winchester, battle of, 44 
Wood, Colonel, 140 
Wood, General, 172 
Woodall, Sergeant Z. T., 72, 74, 75 
Wu Ting Fang, 263 

Yellow Tavern, battle of, 36 
Young, General, 137, 139, 140, 263, 
267, 268 



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